Chelsea 2v2Newcastle
Scorer: Ivanovic (2) Scorer: Alex (83)	Scorer: Gutierrez (10) Scorer: Taylor (90)
Attendance: 41,739	FT (15:22)

 

 MATCH

 REPORTS

 

Goals from two defenders looked to have been enough for all three points but Newcastle were allowed to score from a corner two minutes into stoppage time, ensuring Chelsea wait until the final day for a final league position.

Branislav Ivanovic scored one of his team's fastest goals of the season and his own sixth of the season, but the Blues failed to build on that bridgehead on a day when a win would have guaranteed second place in the Barclays Premier League, barring a hatful of goals by Arsenal in their final two games.

Newcastle were fortunate with the manner in which they equalised soon after and from then on the game stuttered along. However Alex scored his second of the campaign with eight minutes left on the clock and it looked as if the home season would end on a winning note, only for that hope to be dashed with virtually the last action of the game.

Carlo Ancelotti's team selection gave a chance to a few players who had seen little first-team action in the past few weeks. Yossi Benayoun began a match for the first time since September and Josh McEachran was handed his first league start. Nicolas Anelka returned to the line-up to play alongside Benyoun as the support players to centre-forward Fernando Torres. McEachran took the anchor midfield role from Mikel, Ramires replacing Essien further forward.

Had Torres gambled with a run to the far post he could have scored from Ivanovic's low cross within 90 seconds of the start, but instead the Spaniard played a crucial part in Ivanovic netting the opener just 30 seconds later.

From the corner that had come from the earlier attack, he flicked on Lampard's delivery and the Serbian was in the right place to guide the ball home from just two yards out. After the Old Trafford horror start, it was Chelsea, sporting the new home kit for the first time, fast out the blocks on this occasion.

Terry was booked on eight minutes for catching Lovenkrands on the ankle when Newcastle had found a way behind the Chelsea defence and there was double punishment as the Geordies levelled from the free-kick.

Lovenkrands took it from 25 yards out and although his shot might not have been on-target initially, it was after taking a heavy deflection off Gutierrez, Cech left wrong-footed and helpless. That was unfortunate.

The game became littered with free-kicks in midfield and Chelsea escaped when Cech caught a high ball but had it knocked from his hands as it came down on the head of Ameobi. ThenRamires was lucky not to be booked as he went in hard when the ball ran loose after Torres had been tackled by the Newcastle central defence.

McEachran lit up a quiet spell in the game with one of his trademark balls inside the opposition full-back that Cole raced onto but failed to find a blue shirt when he centred, and the game continued on in similar vein to before, referee Lee Mason increasingly irking the crowd with the frequency his whistle was blown.

Ramires did get booked shortly before the half-time interval for tripping Gutierrez but this time Chelsea survived the free-kick, as we had done moments earlier when Newcastle had countered and Cole did well to pressure Lovenkrands into missing a Ferguson cross.

Benayoun attempted an ambitious chip with the first effort of the second half, but it was too ambitious, and Cole, from a standing position, headed off target as opposite full-back Ivanovic found him with a deep cross. Torres then had a shot charged down. Chelsea were slowly turning up the pressure but still had only one shot on target to show from the game, and that was the goal.

The challenges kept going in and Lampard was next in the book for catching Joey Barton on the ankle on halfway. Ivanovic also saw yellow before the hour was up, this time for a foul when Newcastle were on the attack, Ferguson the recipient. Cech was a safe pair of hands behind the free-kick that followed.

There was a triple substitution on 64 minutes, Drogba, Malouda and Essien coming on for Benayoun, Ramires and McEachran, the youngster warmly applauded off. His next appointment is on the same pitch tomorrow as the reserves attempt to become national finalists.

As the new arrivals tried to make an impact, Simpson became Newcastle's first booking as he illegally ended a typical Essien surge, before Drogba played in Cole who opted to cross when he could have shot. Then Terry couldn't keep down a far-post header. That was a difficult chance.

Chelsea were playing pretty much 4-2-4 with Anelka and Malouda wide, the former fouled by Jose Enrique for the fifth yellow card of the game.

A set-piece had long looked the mostly likely source of a winner for either side and an Alex free-kick would have been high up among the favourites to score one with one of his piledrivers, but instead it was the Brazilian's forehead that looked to have secured second place in the league. Krul came off his line to try to reach Lampard's free-kick deep into the area but when the keeper missed, Alex headed in.

That should have been that but Chelsea couldn't close out the game. Lovenkrands could have headed an equalise before his side did but instead won a corner. That was played beyond the far post to where substitute Nile Ranger had pulled into space. He headed back into the six-yard box and Steven Taylor headed in.

So all eyes turned to north London and Arsenal's game against Aston Villa after the Chelsea players had performed their customary lap of appreciation for the Stamford Bridge supporters, who had witnessed a disappointing finale to the home season.

Man Utd 2v1Chelsea Scorer: Hernandez (1) Scorer: Vidic (23) Scorer: Lampard (68)

A poor first half cost Chelsea dear at Old Trafford as Manchester United moved six points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
The Blues were behind inside a minute when Javier Hernandez beat the offside trap to slot home, and Untied doubled the lead halfway through the first period when Nemanja Vidic was left unmarked to head home inside the six-yard box.


Chelsea rallied in the second period and pulled a goal back through Frank Lampard 22 minutes from time, but created little else afterwards as United threatened to run riot, Wayne Rooney in particular missing a host of chances.
The defeat leaves us six points adrift of Sir Alex Ferguson's men with just two games to play. A successful defence of our title remains possible but looks distant, United meeting relegation threatened Blackburn and Blackpool in their final two games.
With that in mind today, Chelsea's task could not have been simpler. Win and become favourites for the title, lose and almost definitely kiss goodbye to it.
Carlo Ancelotti went with what he knows, 4-3-3 with Didier Drogba down the middle, Florent Malouda down the left and Salomon Kalou down the right.
United had Patrice Evra missing at left-back so John O'Shea deputised, and Antonio Valencia was preferred to Nani on the right of midfield.
Having won here last season, a result that turned the championship in our favour, hopes were high that we could force a repeat, but we could not have begun the game in worse fashion.
O' Shea, probably identified as a potential weak link, won a header and fed Ji-Sung Park who turned and in space sent a ball between Chelsea's central defenders for Hernandez, played just onside by the deep David Luiz, to run on and stroke the ball beyond Petr Cech. It was a strike timed at 36 seconds.
Old Trafford had been rocking before kick-off. Now it was positively shaking as 75,000 home supporters celebrated an early lead against the champions.
On seven minutes Rooney almost doubled the lead, smashing a 35-yarder Petr Cech had to be at full reach to turn behind. Chelsea were yet to mount an attack of any substance, though a minute later Drogba flashed a wayward, speculative shot well wide from some 40 yards.
There was another scare on 10 minutes. Ryan Giggs was allowed too easy a passage forward and he found Park who again looked for Hernandez from the edge of the area, the South Korean's clipped pass bypassing a static Chelsea backline but flying just out of the goalscorer's reach.
Just to make things slightly worse Branislav Ivanovic was cautioned by referee Howard Webb for an ill-judged lunge on Rooney on the halfway line.
The Englishman was unharmed though and three minutes later almost doubled the lead again, shooting wide from outside the area after a sweeping United counter-attack.
Finally the Blues brought a little bit of hope, Malouda crossing from the left towards Drogba's head, Kalou eventually forcing Van der Sar into a decent low save, and then finding space once more to get a shot away that the Dutchman held easily.
United were soon on top again however and made their dominance count. Park brought another sharp save from Cech but from the resultant corner Vidic was able to head home Giggs's cross from no more than four yards after escaping Ivanovic's attentions.

Chelsea's Serb almost made amends at the other end but volleyed into the side netting after Kalou's header had been palmed away, and then David Luiz tried his luck from distance after being allowed to stride into United territory.
An afternoon that had promised much had turned sour, but despite what had been a poor performance, a Drogba free-kick on the half-hour was Chelsea's fifth effort on target. If we could keep creating chances there was at least a sliver of hope that something could be recovered.
John Mikel Obi had to cut out a low Valencia ball at the nearpost as Hernandez lurked and Antonio Valencia shot way over as half-time approached, an enforced break after injury to Rooney looked to have settled the home side once more.
Both sides made changes at the break, Mikel and David Luiz withdrawn and replaced by Ramires and Alex for Chelsea, O' Shea by Johnny Evans for United.
Ramires would offer more attacking thrust to midfield, Alex perhaps a little more stability than David Luiz in central defence.
With little sign of change at the hour stage, a Malouda drive flying just wide all Chelsea had to show in the way of second-half efforts, Ancelotti opted for a final substitution. Fernando Torres, a tormentor in chief of United while a Liverpool player, on in place of Kalou and taking up a central role.

John Terry survived a penalty scare when Valencia tumbled under his challenge, before Alex tried to beat Van der Sar from distance with a speculative effort held by the Dutchman.
Torres is usually one to play on the last defender's shoulder but it was Drogba who found himself in that position when Ashley Cole sent through an excellently weighted pass, killed in one by the Ivorian but his second touch sent the ball agonisingly past the far post
Drogba had been a threat all afternoon but he was merely a bystander as another reliable source put Chelsea back into the game.
Cole switched possession from left to right, picking out Ramires who had time to cross and find a well-placed Ivanovic. The Serbian flicked on and there was Lampard, who had to that point been a peripheral figure in the game, to stick out a leg and volley home.

Chelsea were back in it but very nearly also immediately out of it again as Hernandez broke and pulled back for the expectant Rooney, who had to claw the ball from behind him back towards goal, Alex arriving just in time to block the goal-bound ball with an outstretched leg.
Chelsea's change to a four-man midfield, and subsequent goal, opened the game up as Ancelotti's men rediscovered some belief and United looked to pick us off on the counter.
Chelsea's greatest threat was coming from wide. Ivanovic and Malouda both sent in dangerous crosses, the first headed away by Rio Ferdinand, the second finding Ramires who could only head straight into Evans from close range.
Rooney missed one, then two, then three chances to wrap the game up, first shooting wide, then dallying and allowing Cech to make a block before finally seeing Alex deflect another shot over the bar as Chelsea's defence struggled to contain the forward.
Hernandez too was guilty. He headed high from ix yards after Valencia had found him with an excellent driven cross. It was the home side now looking more likely to score as the game entered its final few minutes.
Torres grabbed a sight of goal on 87, slamming a yard wide as hope seeped away.
Throwing on an extra defender in Chris Smalling didn't stop United pouring forward and Hernandez dragged another opportunity wide after more good work from Valencia.
Chelsea looked out of ideas, United as if they may score every time they entered their opponents' half. Cole even tried a shot from halfway, finding the roof of Van der Sar's net.
It seemed a submission, and had the home crowd up on its feet as they first celebrated and then whistled loudly for the final whistle. Chelsea fans had stayed in their numbers too, and loudly supported their side for much of the game but could do nothing to prevent a damaging defeat.
The gap is now six points, and with two games to play it looks very much as though the title this year will be headed for Manchester rather than west London.
But it is still possible, and the Blues will keep fighting. That is sure to be the message from Ancelotti.