Ramires, Newcastle United

After a week that left Chelseaon the ropes, the sight of a resounding win at St James’ Park will have Blues fans sleeping a little sounder.

Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata were the stars of the show in the North East as Andre Villas-Boas saw his side end Newcastle’s unbeaten home run.

Recent fortunes have been pretty awful for the Blues but the tide turned only four minutes into the game when David Luiz escaped with only a yellow card after hauling down Demba Ba when the in-form front man was clean through.

Referee Mike Dean later said that he felt Ba did not have control of the ball.

This escape seemed to spur on the visitors, who set about laying siege on the Newcastle goal, with Sturridge finding constant joy down the right, but also finding Tim Krul in fine form as he, combined with the woodwork saw the England international denied somewhere in the region of five times in the first half.

The hosts couldn’t live with the movement of Mata, and Oriol Romeu showed his emerging talent with a very sound showing in the ‘Makelele role’.

The Luiz incident wasn’t the only defensive mishap, and the back line remains an area of concern for AVB. John Terry and Luiz very nearly combined to score one of the worst own goals in history as the captain slammed the ball against the Brazilian while trying to clear after Ba had hit the post.

Then Didier Drogba slammed a header against his own bar in the second half, before Terry came to Cech’s rescue by clearing off the line from Ameobi after the keeper had flapped at a cross.

By this point the Blues had taken to lead through a bullet header from Drogba after more good movement from Mata saw him cross from Ashley Cole’s throw in.

The game plan in the second half appeared to be the counter attack, and after soaking up a fair amount of pressure from the home side, Chelsea made the game safe late on as Torres did well to set up Kalou, and then Sturridge finally got his reward by driving home in stoppage time. It was refreshing to see some menace about Chelsea going forward, with signs that the AVB philosophy might just be taking hold at last.

There was pace and creativity about most things the Blues did in attack, and although 3-0 was perhaps slightly harsh on Newcastle, back to back wins by this scoreline shows signs of recovery at a crucial time, with the Champions League showdown with Valencia looming, and league leaders Man City coming to Bridge next Monday night.

So performance wise this was a big improvement from Chelsea, and having moved back into the top four, AVB will be looking up at the surprise package of Spurs, as well as the Manchester clubs, and begin plotting how he can overhaul them.

David Luiz, Liverpool

Chelsea crashed out of the Carling Cup thanks to their second home defeat to Liverpool in 10 days.

The result will have Fleet Street piling the pressure on Andre Villas-Boas, and the Blues boss was a frustrated figure as his side fell to a combination of more bad defending and some atrocious refereeing.

It started early when Phil Dowd inexplicitly booked David Luiz for diving when the Brazilian was hacked down in the area.

It got worse when Liverpool’s players surrounded the referee after an Alex handball that was missed by the official. Incredibly Dowd was swayed by the red mob and awarded the penalty. Andy Carroll stepped up and enhanced his reputation as a waste of space by blasting the kick at Ross Turnbull, who beat the ball away from a delighted Matthew Harding Stand.

In the midst of all the Chelsea were failing to impress however, even the young blood in the like of Romeu, McEachran and Bertrand couldn’t find a way through despite their promise. McEachran had his evening cut short when he had to limp off through injury, being replaced by Ramires.

Chelsea’s only real opportunity of the first half was a glancing header from Romelu Lukaku that flashed just wide of Pepe Reina’s far post.

The second half started off much better for AVB and his team, as they showed more urgency in their attacking play, but frustratingly just as Fernando Torres was becoming lively and chances were growing, the visitors took the lead after taking advantage of that high defensive line. Ryan Bertrand showed his inexperience by stepping up too late to play Craig Bellamy offside, and the Welshman raced into the box before squaring for Maxi Rodriguez to tap in.

Anelka and Mata were readied but before they could get on the pitch Liverpool had killed the tie with Martin Kelly jumping unmarked to head home Bellamy’s whipped in free kick.

Chelsea pushed to get back in to the game and Malouda hit the bar but the hosts never looked like getting back into the tie.

Although this was a heavily changed team, the same frailties were in show in the shape of bad defending and blunt attacking.

When we were chasing the game, Chelsea’s attacking plan was too repetitive and predictable, and far too slow. Even with Mata on the pitch there seemed no flair to open up the Liverpool defence.

While we will all say it’s only the Carling Cup, it doesn’t hide the fact that there are fundamental problems in this Chelsea team. The team lacks an identity and definitive style of play, and this lack of conviction has rubbed off on the fans, who are becoming anxious earlier and earlier when things don’t initially go our way.

December is packed with tough fixtures and will shape the rest of our season. Let’s hope this was the final stage of the learning curve for the manager, and we can start to kick on, starting at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Branislav Ivanovic, Alex, Liverpool

After an international debate that seemed to drag on longer than an FA Inquiry the Premier League is back this weekend, and what better way for AVB and his Chelsea side to get back into the swing of things than with a visit from our dear friends from Liverpool.

There’s always something going on to add spice to this fixture, and this time around it’s the fact that two former Reds will be wearing Blue shirts.

And while it is a big test for Messrs Meireles and Torres, the bigger picture is how the Blues continue to rebuild after a couple of nasty London derby defeats and a physical test up a Blackburn a fortnight ago.

Time has passed and Andre Villas-Boas has had a chance to reflect on his early months as Chelsea boss, and where the club stands.

Literally speaking we sit just behind Newcastle, which in itself shows what a funny start to the season it’s been.

Now the manager has the chance to mark his first real mark in charge of the club by seeing off an old enemy, and there are several key areas he would have looked at.

Starting from the back, we come across The Blues’ biggest issue right now; we don’t have a first choice central defensive pairing. David Luiz is always a risk, and you never know whether he’s going to score you the winner or hand it to the opposition. Alex returned at Blackburn and brought some much needed stability, but with a fair amount of pace in Liverpool’s attack, his inclusion could leave us vulnerable.

Into the middle of the park and things are a little easier to understand, with Lampard and Mikel likely to start the final berth remains the only real question mark. Meireles will want to prove a point against his former employers and with him in the side, Chelsea are a more fluid unit. The Portuguese can balance out the stagnation that Mikel tends to inflict on any flowing move.

Up top and these three should pick themselves; Danny Sturridge was quiet on his England debut, but is still bound to have picked up some confidence from it. Which we be a relief as he has shrunk away in recent matches.

But Chelsea’s match winner is likely to come from one of the two Spaniards in our attacking line. Juan Mata continues to win our hearts even in losing causes, and we’d all love to see Fernando Torres exorcise a few demons on Sunday evening.

This is a big game for the home side, another slip and we’re in danger of being left behind, and leave ourselves at the mercy of the chasing pack, which includes Sunday’s visitors. The key will be to keep Suarez out of the game, if he has a quiet day, Liverpool tend to do the same.

It should be a feisty encounter, and could hopefully be the spark for a big Blue push going into Christmas.

boswinga, wolverhampton wanderers

If you’re like me you’ll have only just removed your head from your hands, such was the frustration of Chelsea’s second defeat of the season.

On the one hand there is the utter fury at the lack of discipline shown in some quarters, not to mention a referee who couldn’t have had a lesser hold on the game if he’d officiated from his sofa. But on top of that having to stomach losing to such a horrible side as QPR, and seeing an opportunity to leapfrog United and kick them while they’re still smarting from that pasting makes it a pretty awful day all round.

Addressing the main issues, firstly, David Luiz needs to be tranquilized before every game from now on. Yes, the blind determination and passion is refreshing in the mercenary modern footballer, but the Brazilian is starting to look more like a headless chicken, and not for the first time he had a direct influence in our downfall today.

It has to be said that the penalty was a soft decision, but we’ll get to the performance of Chris Foy in a moment. Luiz walked a tightrope for most the game, getting in unnecessary tangles and jumping into challenges he had no chance of winning, and in the end burnt himself out meaning late on he could hardly put up a fight defensively. It was lucky Rangers had Shaun Wright-Phillips as their main creative outlet otherwise the scoreline may have been worse.

I suppose, after a deep breath, credit must be given to the home side, they had a game plan and they stuck to it. From the first minute they hassled and niggled at Andre Villas-Boas side, and it clearly wound the Blues up. Its not often you see Frank Lampard lash out in frustration, but on his 500th Premier League appearance Lampard looked anything but chuffed, clashing with Shaun Derry and kicking a post in the second half.

Of course, Chelsea didn’t help themselves with a style of play that just didn’t suit the occasion. QPR were never going to let us play out from the back, and while it would have been a difficult task with eleven men, to try and do it with nine was plain suicidal. Time and time again The Blues were caught in possession in their own half, handing the initiative to a side that were already very pumped up thanks to a numerical advantage.

Now to the real talking point of the afternoon; the complete ineptitude of Chris Foy. The standard of referring is often bemoaned in this country, and today its easy to see why when officials are put in charge who seem more interested in ensuring they are talked about the next day than a fair game being played out.

The penalty is the perfect example of this, as Helguson has quite clearly waited for any contact before throwing his portly frame to the floor. One pundit called it ‘clever’, something Chris Foy will never be called. He could barely wait for Helguson to hit the deck before blowing up. It’s a soft, soft decision and better refs would’ve waved it away so early in other big games.

As for Bosingwa’s red card there are two big issues. One, John Terry is alongside the incident so Bosingwa can not be the last man, and its clear that Wright-Phillips is pulling Bosingwa just as much pulls him down as well. But with 18,000 Rangers fans on his back Chris Foy took the easy way out.

It’s probably a good time to point out that the Drogba red card was a good decision, and another example of the enigma that is the Ivorian; you can always depend on him to be undependable as well as unpredictable.

After all this The Blues did put up a valiant fight, with Anelka and Lampard coming close to equalizers with headers in the second half. The Frenchman in particular was guilty of being wasteful.

But I suppose none of it matters now and we must turn our attentions to Everton in the Carling Cup and then Arsenal next Sunday, a game which suddenly looks massive in the grand scheme of things with United stumbling for the second time in as many games.

Chelsea and our young manager must learn from the mistakes of today, use them to push ourselves on towards the big things we know we can achieve this season.

QPR: Kenny, Hill, Hall, Young, Ferdinand, Derry (Mackie 81), Taarabt (Smith 61), Faurlin, Barton, Wright-Phillips, Helguson

Chelsea: Cech, Cole, Luiz, Bosingwa, Terry, Lampard, Mikel, Meireles (Malouda 72), Mata (Anelka 45), Drogba, Sturridge (Ivanovic 36)

Frank Lampard had done his part to silence his critics with his 172nd goal for the club early in the second half, before Soldado leveled from the spot three minutes from time.

Juan Mata made his return to the Mestalla, just over a month after leaving, and Lampard came into midfield in place of Raul Meireles, with David Luiz and Florent Malouda the other changes from the weekend win over Swansea, replacing Anelka and Ivanovic respectively.

The Blues looked the more likely in the opening moments, with Fernando Torres barged to the ground inside the area, when in one-on-one before Malouda nearly forced an own goal out of a nervy looking home defence. A replay of the Torres incident showed the Blues might have had a decent case for a penalty.

The next notable chance came in the 14th minute when Lampard drilled a free kick at Valencia keeper Alves after Ramires had been pulled down on the edge of the area. It would be the first of a string of saves from the home side’s stopper.

The first half somewhat fizzled out after these early chances, with the home side finding a resolute Chelsea defence in their way, and the Blues lacking the final ball to create chances for the likes of Torres and Mata.

The second half didn’t take long to come to life however, with Torres seeing his brilliant header somehow kept out by an astonishing save by Alves, only for the hosts to counter and Soldado be only a couple of inches away from connecting with a cross.

Barely two minutes later Ramires broke through but lacked composure in his finish, only for Alves to then deny Torres again and punch away a deflection from the resulting corner in a breathless spell of football.

Andre Villas-Boas’ side were now coming to the boil and there capped this spell of dominance by taking the lead in the 56th minute.

Malouda took on the defender and cut back across the area, and Lampard was there to sweep home at the far post from 12 yards. It was Lamps’ 20th Champions League goal and on a personal note probably one of his most satisfying given the recent speculation surrounding the England midfielder.

The home side were still struggling to get any sort of foothold in the game, and Mata was starting to enjoy his return, dancing past defenders and almost creating a goal, but Cole’s cross from the Spaniard’s pass was cut out.

It wasn’t until the 71st minute that Petr Cech had any real saves to make, the big keeper tipping over Piatti’s volley.

Chelsea had by this point seemingly settled for a solitary goal, and suddenly Valencia were on top, with the lively Piatti pulling a shot wide from the edge of the box.
Cech produced another good save in the 84th minute from Oliveira’s curling effort.

Then came the inexplicable moment of the match, when Salomon Kalou flicked a hand at a Valencia corner and the referee pointed to the spot. Soldado stroked home the kick to give the hosts the point they just about deserved given their growing pressure in the game.

Andre Villas-Boas will be disappointed his side didn’t hold on for an impressive win, but a point in the Mestalla is still a good result. Especially given that the Blues next two games are against Genk, where two wins should seal qualification from the group. Anelka could have even won it late on but was denied by Alves, and some Chelsea frustration at the final whistle saw Cole and Mata pick up yellow cards.

Valencia: Alves, Rami, Alba, Ruiz, Mathieu (Piatti 59), Miguel, Albelda, Banega (Oliveira 72), Canales, Pablo (Feghouli 72), Soldado.

Chelsea: Cech, Cole, Luiz, Terry, Bosingwa, Ramires (Meireles 66), Lampard (Kalou 83), Mikel, Malouda, Torres (Anelka 72), Mata

Man of the Match: Frank Lampard

The young Englishman was the big talking point before the game, as he returned from his three match ban picked up whilst on loan at Bolton, and found himself thrust straight into the starting eleven at the expense of Fernando Torres, the Spaniard having to make do with a cameo appearance this week.

It was a refreshing performance in that far more positive than negatives were on show, with full debuts for Juan Mata and deadline day signing Raul Meireles, and both showing their class against an underwhelming Black Cats side.

Mata’s link up play through out will be a breath of fresh air to Chelsea fans, as finally it seems we have a player capable of unlocking defences. Mind you, it was the deeper lying Meireles who must be given as many plaudits, as it was his vision and pass that put Sturridge in for the Blues’ second goal of the afternoon.

It could’ve been a different story however, had Sunderland and new boy Nicklas Bendtner had made the most of a free header early on. That chance, plus one parried effort from Sessegnon was all the home side offered in the first period as Chelsea dominated the play.

Nicolas Anelka twice went close, first after the a standard blistering change of pace from Ramires and a nice pass from Mata saw him fire wide, and then stinging the hands of Sunderland goalkeeper Mignolet with a fierce shot. Ramires also went close himself with a curling effort after another surge.

But despite all the freshness and swagger about Chelsea’s attack, the goal came from the back; John Terry cooling slotting home at the second attempt after being found by Sturridge. In truth Sunderland will feel that should’ve done better, given that their were 7 red and white shirts in the box, but the skipper took the ball down and finished well for a deserved lead.

The killer blow came six minutes after the break, and what a blow it was, with Sturridge racing onto Meireles pass, appearing to go beyond keeper Mignolet, only to backheel the ball back passed the keeper and send it trickling into the corner beyond a despairing Wes Brown. Cue the customary Sturridge dance moves.

The Black Cats did manage a stoppage time goal through Ji Dong-Won after a piece of mis-control by Bendtner but it was too late and Blues record their third win on the bounce climb to third in the Premier League table.

Villas-Boas now has a nice selection problem ahead of the huge trip to Old Trafford next week, with Sturridge on song, and Didier Drogba expected to return means choosing a front man will be top of his of priorities this week. The rest of the side already looks settled, with Meireles and Mata slotting in effortlessly, and with a bench today that included Torres, David Luiz and Florent Malouda, the Blues are hardly short of depth.

It already looks like subtle changes are taking place at Stamford Bridge with a shift away form dependency on the likes of Lampard and Drogba, and next Sunday could well prove to be the first big test of the AVB’s evolution in SW6.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Bosingwa, Terry, Ramires, Lampard, Meireles, Mata (Torres 74), Sturridge (Malouda 62), Anelka (Romeu 79)

Sunderland: Mignolet, Bardsley (Elmohamady 62), Brown, Richardson, Bramble, Cattermole (Wickham 65), Larsson, Gardner, Colback, Sessegnon (Ji Dong-Won 82), Bendtner

Man of the Match: Daniel Sturridge

David Luiz was all over the place trying to cover the run of Javier Hernandez; being drawn to the ball, then being the wrong side of the Mexican who strolled through to give United the lead.

It was a shambolic beginning to what was supposed to be the biggest game of the season, but much like the Champions League quarter-final, when the chips were down the Blues didn’t turn up.

Yes, Frank Lampard did give Carlo Ancelotti hope in the second half, and in general the champions were much improved, but it wasn’t difficult given the display in the opening 45 minutes.

Vidic was able to add to Hernandez’s early goal; climbing above Ivanovic after a United short corner routine, and if we’re all brutally honest that shouldn’t have been United’s last goal of the afternoon.

Unlike the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal we’ll put our hands up and say when we’ve been beaten by the better side, but it doesn’t get rid of the bitter taste left in the mouth by such a lifeless showing from arguably Chelsea’s strongest starting XI, in a game of huge importance.

In midfield Chelsea looked laboured and short of ideas and initiative, with the likes of Lampard and Essien, even when they did evade the enthusiasm of Park and Carrick, unable to really spark the visitors into life.

Ashley Cole came off second best for the first time in well over 2 years as Valencia twisted and turned beyond him.

The opening 20 minutes played a huge part in Chelsea’s downfall, as the relentlessness of United’s attacking seemed to stun John Terry and co, and even the real battlers of the side like Ivanovic and JT himself seemed overwhelmed by the occasion, with Petr Cech being forced into 2 brilliant saves after efforts from distance by Park and Rooney.

Ancelotti had to make changes at the interval and Luiz and Mikel paid the price for their poor displays with Alex and Ramires sent on. Of course it must be pointed out that both men withdrawn are still in their early 20s and Sunday will be a valuable experience for both.

Torres was introduced with 25 minutes to go and the Spaniard had a couple of half sights of goal before and after Lampard brought Chelsea back into it, as only he can do.

Some brilliant last ditch defending from Alex prevented Rooney adding a third for United, the Brazilian sprawling in front of the United front man who had an open goal at his mercy.

But whilst the Lampard goal had suddenly introduced nerves to Old Trafford, the home side looked just as likely to score again on the counter as The Blues tried to lay siege on Van Der Sar’s goal.

In the end there was no grandstand finish, no Torres brace in the last 10 minutes to stun United and complete the greatest of all Premier League comebacks. Indeed, Chelsea’s resurgence should still remain one of the best, given that the champions found themselves in 5^th place and 15 points behind United on March 1^st. Yet 2 months later had the chance to overhaul them at the top of the Premier League.

Ancelotti and his side had been written off by everyone, even Champions League qualification was thrown into doubt. The fight back was admirable, but in the end just a fraction too far.

So, whilst this report is laced with bitterness and frustration at the first half showing today, hopefully the character shown in the preceding games will help calm calls for drastic overhaul on the Fulham Road. Evolution is needed, not revolution.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Luiz (Alex 46), Terry, Essien, Lampard, Mikel (Ramires 46), Malouda, Drogba, Kalou (Torres 61)

Man United: Van Der Sar, Ferdinand, Vidic, Fabio (Smalling 88), O’Shea (Evans 46), Giggs, Park, Carrick, Valencia, Rooney, Hernandez

Despite Carlo Ancelotti writing off his side’s chances of retaining their crown, the Blues now sit 6 points behind Manchester United, who still have to go to Arsenal, and host Chelsea this term.

It was a brace from Florent Malouda and wonderful solo goal from Salomon Kalou that saw off Alex McLeish’s side, but the real praise has to go to Drogba who worked tirelessly and constantly terrorised the visitors.

The Ivorian played a crucial part in the first goal, flicking on a Paulo Ferreira cross to give Malouda a tap in after just three minutes. It came after a glorious cross field ball from John Terry had picked out the Portuguese, as Chelsea awoke from their slumber after a sloppy opening couple of minutes.

The Blues continued to create chances, with Drogba twice testing City keeper Ben Foster from distance, whilst Frank Lampard curled one just past the post from 25 yards.

At the other end John Terry pulled off a great last ditch tackle to prevent Aleksander Hleb from getting a sight of goal, before Cameron Jerome forced a good save out of Petr Cech at his near post.

However on 26 minutes the champions extended their lead with a piece of fine individual skill from Salomon Kalou.

The Ivorian winger has his critics at the Bridge but there was nothing wrong with this finish as he beat two defenders before curling home via the inside of the post. Ben Foster did not move.

Twice more before the break Drogba threatened, frustrating Chelsea fans more than anything. Why can’t he be this unplayable every week?

When in this mood there are few better in world football at causing havoc and motivating those around him.

Into the second half and the champions wrapped up the points just after the hour mark, substitute Ryan Bertrand’s cross was headed home by Malouda, before Terry saw his header saved, and another mazy Drogba run resulted in only a corner.

Fernando Torres and Nicolas Anelka came off the bench as Chelsea changed shape with the game won, but this had a negative effect as Birmingham were able to get a foot hold in the game.

David Luiz then provided his now customary one mistake per game when he naively tripped Derbyshire in the box. Sebastian Larsson dispatched the penalty after a minor tiff with Craig Gardner over who should take it.

City could’ve even had a second late on but Derbyshire rushed his shot and fired wide when in space.

But all in all a convincing win for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who are still in with an outside chance of retaining their title following Arsenal and United’s draws this week. A 100% between now and the end of the season is a must if there are to put up a fight, and given the way this Premier League season has unfolded, there could still be a few twists left to come.

For all we know Torres could score the winner at Old Trafford, hand us the title and be hailed a bargain. Stranger things have happened; Theo Walcott scored tonight …

Chelsea; Cech, Cole (Bertrand 56), Luiz, Ferreira, Terry, Essien, Lampard, Mikel, Malouda (Anelka 67), Drogba, Kalou (Torres 67)

Birmingham: Foster, Carr, Johnson, Ridgewell, Parnaby, Larsson, Gardner, Ferguson, Fahey, Hleb, Jerome

Man of the Match: Didier Drogba

The Spaniard had several great chances to open his account, but a mixture of composed finishing and good goalkeeping kept him at bay.

When the goal did finally come it was Florent Malouda who broke through, though the Latics felt hard done by, as Torres appeared to foul keeper Al Habsi in the build up.

Carlo Ancelotti opted to rotate his side, with the Champions League quarter-final second leg at Old Trafford around the corner there were rests for the likes of Terry and Essien, whilst Alex and Yossi Benayoun made their long awaited returns from injury.

The champions started brightly and should’ve been in front inside the first minute when Frank Lampard scuffed his shot into Ramires and wide after good work down the right by Didier Drogba. The Ivorian showed great strength to hold off his defender before pulling the ball back for Lampard, who mis-hit from 10 yards.

Drogba was again provider, this time for Malouda on nine minutes, a good turn and through ball put the Frenchman in, but he shot straight at Al Habsi.

There was a frustrating lack of creativity in midfield, with all of Chelsea’s best work coming through Drogba, and the Ivorian was again provider for Malouda; his flick on from Cech’s long ball saw the winger force a fine reaction save out of Al Habsi to ensure parity remained at half time.

Wigan had started to impose themselves before that chance; with N’Zogbia unlucky to be flagged offside chasing Ben Watson’s through ball, whilst Rodallega and McCarthy also looked lively.

Into the second half and Ancelotti gave Benayoun his return to try and put a spark in the middle of the park, and the Israeli looked dangerous, but still the breakthrough wouldn’t come.

On the hour the Blues turned to Torres, and given the champions recent scoring record against Roberto Martinez’s side, this seemed the perfect opportunity for Torres to get off the mark.

Didier Drogba though continued to look the biggest threat, his deflected free kick tipped over by Al Habsi, as the home fans tried to get behind their side.

The pressure finally told on 67 minutes; David Luiz flicked on Drogba’s corner and Al Habsi flapped under pressure from Torres, the ball eventually dropped to Malouda who drilled home, to the relief of those inside Stamford Bridge.

The remaining 20 or so minutes were played out like a school game, with the Chelsea players determined to set up Torres. First the Spaniard failed to control a long ball when completely alone behind the Wigan back line, before a good run ended in a tame shot straight at the keeper.

His best chance came in the dying moments when neat build up between Malouda and Benayoun saw the Israeli play in Torres who was this time denied by a brilliant save by Al Habsi once again.

The Spaniard could afford a wry smile, an expression he’ll hopefully on his face again come Tuesday night, but the champions will have to be much better at Old Trafford in order to keep their season alive.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Luiz, Ferriera (Alex 75), Ramires, Lampard, Mikel (Benayoun 46), Malouda, Drogba, Anelka (Torres 59)

Wigan: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, G Caldwell, Boyce, Figueroa, McCarthy, Watson, N’Zogbia (Di Santo 62), Cleverley, Diame (Moses 85), Rodallega (Sammon 62)

Man of the Match: Didier Drogba