Premiership. Watford 0-1 Chelsea

Kalou keeps Chelsea title hopes alive

Substitute Salomon Kalou scored in injury time to keep Chelsea's Barclays Premiership hopes alive with a 1-0 victory as they moved back to within six points of leaders Manchester United. The Blues striker headed Andriy Shevchenko's cross high into the top corner three minutes into stoppage time, just as Watford appeared certain to hold out for a draw that would have effectively handed Manchester United the title.

Chelsea skipper John Terry's afternoon had got off to a painful start when Darius Henderson accidentally caught him with a stray elbow in the first minute of the match. Terry spent several minutes receiving treatment but was eventually able to continue.

Terry's difficult opening might have seen him concede penalty after he appeared to handle Tommy Smith's cross but referee Uriah Rennie turned down Watford's vociferous appeals. Watford's positive start continued when Kabba forced a save from Cech with a spectacular overhead kick, while Henderson shot wide on the turn and, later, directed a weak header at goal.

Chelsea had a penalty appeal of their own turned down when Lampard - playing with a support on his broken wrist - went down after a clumsy challenge, while Foster made a brilliant save with his legs to deny Drogba.

All Watford lacked was a goal and they should have had one in the 51st minute. Gavin Mahon's long throw sparked pandemonium in the penalty area and after a chaotic few seconds, Kabba found himself with time and space to spare at the back post but sliced horribly wide.

Shaun Wright-Phillips curled wide from 20 yards and when Lampard broke clear only to see the ball whipped away from his toes by Jay DeMerit, Chelsea's faint title hopes appeared to evaporate. Not so, In the 93rd minute, Shevchenko charged down the right and delivered an inch-perfect cross which Kalou - on as a second-half substitute - headed in gleefully from 10 yards.

Watford boss Adrian Boothroyd:
"It is hard to take. I'm proud of my team but disappointed.

"We did very well in many aspects. It was scrappy and we wanted it that way to make it difficult for them.

"What pleased me was that last time we played Chelsea we looked like little boys out autograph hunting but we stood up to them this time."

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho:
"I think that if we had gone from six points to eight or nine behind Manchester United, mathematically it would still be possible to win the title but mentally not.

"Every game is crucial. If we win every game then I think we can be champions.

"Maybe the draw was a fair result. We have a strong group and we have to go all the way in every match."

Watford: Foster, Chambers, DeMerit, Shittu, Stewart, Smith, Mahon, Francis, Rinaldi, Henderson (Priskin 69), Kabba (Bouazza 81).
Subs Not Used: Lee, Doyley, Bangura.

Booked: Francis.

Chelsea: Cech, Geremi (Ferreira 46), Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole (Mikel 58), Makelele (Kalou 46), Lampard, Ballack, Wright-Phillips, Drogba, Shevchenko.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Boulahrouz.

Booked: Wright-Phillips, Ferreira, Carvalho.

Goals: Kalou 93.

Premiership Watford 0-1 Chelsea highlights:

Premiership, Chelsea 3-0 Sheff Utd

Shevchenko shines as Chelsea cruise

Chelsea defeated Sheffield United 3-0 at Stamford Bridge to once again move to within six points of leaders Manchester United.

Andriy Shevchenko, Saloman Kalou and Michael Ballack scored the goals for Jose Mourinho’s side . Mourinho, opting to leave Didier Drogba on the bench, watched his team take the lead after just four minutes.

Ricardo Carvalho beat three players before finding Shevchenko with a wonderful crossfield ball. The Ukrainian then lashed a shot past Paddy Kenny in the Blades goal.

It was 2-0 when a cross from the lively Shaun Wright-Phillips was touched on by Shevchenko, with Kalou applying the finish.

The visitors weren’t out of it, though. Petr Cech kept out a long-range strike from Colin Kazim Richards, while Rob Hulse went close with an overhead kick.

Cech also had to be alert to save from Hulse after a Keith Gillespie cross. There was bad news for the Blades as top-scorer Hulse suffered a suspected broken ankle in the collision.

Ballack was introduced as a half-time substitute for Frank Lampard, as Mourinho shuffled his pack with Monday’s FA Cup replay against Tottenham in mind.

He made it 3-0 when heading in a Wright-Phillips free-kick after the referee had deemed that Gillespie fouled Arjen Robben.

There was little to speak of in the second-half, although Wright Phillips shot just wide as he continues to look for his first league goal for Chelsea.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho:
"We played well, we started well and scored two goals so after 20 minutes the game is under control.

"They had a little spell before half-time but we were in control and played well in the second half.

"When we have our best players back we are a good team and it is no surprise to me that we have won six games in a row."

Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock on Rob Hulse's injury:
"It looks like a double fracture. It was pretty horrific - one of those where you look away.

"He almost got the ball but his ankle collided with Cech's leg, goes one way and then goes the other way.

"We have a job on our hands and it is up to one of the other lads to take us on from what Rob has done for us."

Chelsea: Cech, Boulahrouz, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole (Ferreira 65), Wright-Phillips, Makelele, Lampard (Ballack 46), Robben, Shevchenko (Drogba 65), Kalou.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Diarra.

Goals: Shevchenko 4, Kalou 17, Ballack 58.

Sheff Utd: Kenny, Geary, Davis, Morgan, Armstrong, Gillespie, Alan Quinn (Tonge 67), Jagielka, Montgomery, Kazim-Richards, Hulse (Nade 25).
Subs Not Used: Bromby, Shelton, Stead.

Chelsea 3-0 Sheff Utd, highlights and goals:

FA Cup, Chelsea 3-3 Tottenham

Chelsea Comeback In Thriller

Chelsea and Tottenham have treated everyone watching to an unforgetable FA Cup tie and they will have to do it all again after it finished 3-3 at Stamford Bridge in 90 minutes of pure football madness!!



Chelsea had looked down and out at half-time after they trailed 3-1 to a vibrant Tottenham side.But second-half goals from Frank Lampard and substitute Salomon Kalou earned them a 3-3 draw and a replay at White Hart Lane against the odds.



First half:



Dimitar Berbatov shocked Chelsea by putting Spurs in front in the fifth minute but that was cancelled out by Lampard 17 minutes later. But an own goal by Michael Essien in the 28th minute restored Tottenham's advantage and Spurs cemented a terrific opening 45 minutes with a third goal through Hossam Ghaly eight minutes later.


Chelsea were given a wake-up call within five minutes when Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon linked up on the edge of the penalty area.The England winger slipped the ball to Dimitar Berbatov and the Spurs striker hammered a volley beyond Petr Cech for the opener.While Chelsea threatened to get back into the game, it was Spurs who remained more of a threat.They almost bagged a second when Paul Stalteri robbed Arjen Robben and set up Berbatov. However, the Bulgarian chose to cross for Defoe instead of shooting himself and the chance went begging.


Tottenham paid for the failure to take that opportunity when Lampard equalised in the 22nd minute. Tottenham were, for the first time in the game, caught out by a neat move from the English champions. Didier Drogba's cross was chested down by Andriy Shevchenko and when Michael Ballack sent the ball back towards the six-yard box, Lampard pounced to turn it past Radek Cerny.


But Spurs shocked Chelsea with a second goal a minute later when the unfortunately Essien turned a cross from Lennon past Cech and into his own net. The goal was completely against the run of play but it put the north London side back in control. The game was turning into a classic FA Cup tie and Stalteri had to clear off the line in the 32nd minute to prevent Chelsea from equalising for a second time.



Second Half:

After the break Chelsea, perhaps sensibly, opted to pile everyone forward - they did not seem to have anyone at the back anyway. A trio of chances came in quick succession but Ballack spurned two with his head and Lampard shot weakly.

And Spurs should have made them pay when Lennon burst through on goal but Cech produced a superb save to deny him and then Defoe made a mess of a free header from three yards out.

Instead, it was the visitors who were punished when a goalmouth scramble ensued after a corner and the ball broke to Lampard, who clipped the ball low into the corner.

Suddenly, a rejigged Chelsea were in the ascendancy and for the first time in the game Spurs were on the back foot. Chelsea, who had made a host of substitutions, appeared to be playing with only two defenders.

Yet the changes paid off when substitute Kalou connected sweetly after Drogba headed the ball across goal and Chelsea were level.

But then, in injury time, Defoe had a chance to give Tottenham their first win at Stamford Bridge for 17 years but his fizzing drive cannoned back off the bar.

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira (Wright-Phillips 34), Essien, Carvalho, Ashley Cole (Kalou 64), Diarra (Boulahrouz 57), Lampard, Robben, Ballack, Drogba, Shevchenko.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Bridge.

Booked: Diarra, Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Kalou.

Goals: Lampard 22, 71, Kalou 86.

Tottenham: Cerny, Stalteri, Dawson, Rocha, Young-Pyo Lee, Ghaly (Gardner 81), Tainio, Zokora, Lennon (Malbranque 76), Berbatov (Mido 66), Defoe.
Subs Not Used: Burch, Huddlestone.

Booked: Ghaly, Zokora, Young-Pyo Lee, Stalteri, Cerny.

Goals: Berbatov 5, Essien 28 og, Ghaly 36.

FA Cup, Chelsea 3-3 Tottenham goals video: