Chelsea at the double

FA CUP SEMI-FINAL/Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 3:IN THE blue parish of west London all supporter chat will now concern the six games between Chelsea and a first Double. But, after Aston Villa were soundly beaten on a controversial evening, John Terry spoke for the first time of how the club had picked itself up following the 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers last month.

That result followed Chelsea’s elimination from the Champions League by Jose Mourinho’s Inter. Yet since that dark day in Blackburn four consecutive victories and 17 goals have followed to leave Chelsea a point ahead of Manchester United with a game in hand after yesterday’s draw by the champions at Blackburn and with a FA Cup final date next month.

“We had the disappointment of going out of the Champions League. It meant our focus was no longer on that, that we could focus only on the league, and we went to Blackburn hoping we could win and keep our place at the top. But we didn’t,” Terry said.

This provoked meetings between players and their manager, Carlo Ancelotti. “We had a couple. It goes with the territory, nothing to really write home about. We knew we were disappointing and didn’t really show the fight,” Terry said.

“When you go to those places you have to show the fight and that you want it more than them. On that day Blackburn wanted it more than us. They showed more fight than we did, which was not acceptable.”

As captain had he led the way in thrashing out the problem? “Yes. That’s what I’ve done along with Lamps [Frank Lampard] and the other big characters we’ve got here. People like Bally [Michael Ballack] and Petr Cech, who have been through a lot, players worth their weight in gold at a bad time.

“Everyone spoke their mind, we got a few things off our chests that we were feeling and we went again. I don’t want to make too much of a big thing of it but we had a discussion between us, the management, and players, everyone spoke honestly, it was a chance to get it off our chest.”

After second-half goals from Didier Drogba, Lampard and Florent Malouda killed off a fading Villa team Martin O’Neill also needed to vent a little about the performance of the referee, Howard Webb. O’Neill was furious on two counts, and he had a case.

First was Webb’s decision on 15 minutes to turn down a penalty appeal after Mikel Obi John seemed to level Gabriel Agbonlahor in the area.

That had O’Neill hopping around in fury. And, when Terry launched a second-half assault on James Milner’s knee, the manager, along with his players, was equally astonished that Webb flourished merely a yellow card.

Having claimed Terry’s tackle might have ended Milner’s career, O’Neill said he would take up Webb’s display with Mike Riley, head of the referees’ board.

“I’d spoken to Mike some weeks ago over the decision here in the Carling Cup final,” he said of Phil Dowd’s failure to dismiss Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic for a foul on Agbonlahor.

“I thought he was quite fair and he sympathised with my plight. He accepted that. And I’m sure he will sympathise with my plight on Monday.”

Milner’s team-mate John Carew claimed Terry “could have sent his lower leg up on to the stand if he hit him right” and O’Neill refused to soften his stance, calling for Terry to apologise.

He said: “He’s [Milner] very fortunate. It was off the ground. Even that in itself is not enough to save you all the time. Listen, forget about the result. I just want Milner to be fit, to take his rightful place in that squad to go to South Africa. That would be great. I would hope that an apology into the dressingroom [may be forthcoming ].”

Did he think this would suffice as Milner, who pointedly refused to discuss the incident after the game, will be a World Cup team-mate of Terry’s?

“I really don’t know. That would be something that James and John Terry could be talking about,” O’Neill added.

Chelsea are at home to Bolton tomorrow as they continue the quest for that first Double.