Chelsea resume normal service

SOCCER/ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP/Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 5:CHELSEA MAY have felt the fates had conspired against them in recent weeks, though it is Portsmouth who have truly monopolised the hard luck story this season. While the visitors hoisted themselves from their untimely lull and back to within a point of the summit with comfortable victory here, the locals were left to reflect upon the wreckage of a drubbing.

Portsmouth’s players emerged from this collision with one suspected fractured cheekbone, a broken nose, and a simmering resentment that Chelsea players had not been punished for inflicting those injuries. Unfortunately, there was also a comical air-kick from an England goalkeeper to endure, a mistake that sparked this defeat and rather summed up a season.

This had appeared a timely fixture for Chelsea to recover some zest after their recent traumas, with Portsmouth a condemned side and their focus already fixed on an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

The onus was on the visitors to supply the urgency and impetus missing for long periods in Sunday’s sloppy draw at Blackburn. Ancelotti, surveying the scene as deadpan as ever in the drizzle, had stressed that nothing other than victory would hoist this side from their slump.

Their display lacked the verve of the first-half performance at Ewood Park, their passing sluggish on the stodgy surface, but they had still eked out a lead by half-time.

It came courtesy of David James’s air-kick, confusion between Ricardo Rocha and Hermann Hreidarsson having looped the ball into the air as the hosts retreated for Deco, on a rare outing, to nod through the centre.

James emerged from his area but, with the ball bobbling awkwardly in the mud, he failed to make any contact on the attempted clearance and Didier Drogba trotted through to tap into the empty net.

This was the retiring head groundsman Bob Jones’s final game after 21 years at this club. Simply nothing is going this Portsmouth’s way these days.

The locals may have shrugged at their latest ignominy, but their mood had swiftly darkened after Florent Malouda’s aerial challenge on Rocha left the Portuguese floored.

He left on a stretcher wearing a neck brace, the Frenchman offering him a tap of apology on his shin while Portsmouth’s players, Hreidarsson most animatedly, claimed an elbow had been flung.

Rocha was taken straight to hospital. He has now played six games for this club, debuting in a 5-0 defeat and being sent off twice and carried off once – though he was not the only casualty here. Just before the break Daniel Sturridge’s flailing arm caught Tommy Smith. The forward retired bloodied with a broken nose, albeit without his team-mates crying foul, and was replaced at the interval, though the Portsmouth fans’ agony persisted.

There was an inevitability that Malouda, of all people, would inflict more pain.

The home supporters were still querying why the France international was on the pitch in bellowed chorus when he slipped on to Frank Lampard’s pass, was allowed to veer into the area, and thumped his finish emphatically beyond James.

That merely incensed the home side all the more, Jamie O’Hara clashing with Deco after Pompey refused to punt the ball out of play while Sturridge lay injured on the turf.

Yet, if the home side’s spirit could not be doubted, their inability to contain Chelsea on the counter was clear. James, who had saved smartly from Lampard prior to his aberration, did well to turn the substitute Joe Cole’s fizzed effort round a post as the visitors at last found some rhythm.

They could not be contained for long, however. Lampard again forced James to parry, with Malouda slamming the rebound into the gaping net. Chelsea’s relief was palpable; for Pompey, the end to this dismal league campaign can surely not come soon enough.

Fabio Capello was at White Hart Lane last night and missed James’ error – courtesy of a goalmouth quagmire – which eased Chelsea into this contest. The veteran can be thankful for that, not that Chelsea will be concerned of the embarrassment inflicted on the south coast.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side registered their biggest away win of the season after Drogba buried his 30th goal of the term inside James’ near-post and, in stoppage time, Frank Lampard nodded in a fifth.

PORTSMOUTH: James, Finnan, Rocha (Basinas 45), Hreidarsson, Mullins, Smith (Owusu-Abeyie 46), Wilson, Mokoena (Kanu 71), Hughes, O’Hara, Piquionne. Subs not used: Ashdown, Brown, Vanden Borre, Webber. Booked: O’Hara, Hughes, James.

CHELSEA: Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Carvalho (Alex 37), Terry, Zhirkov (Van Aanholt 71), Lampard, Mikel, Deco, Sturridge (Joe Cole 55), Drogba, Malouda. Subs not used: Turnbull, Kalou, Anelka, Bruma. Booked: Malouda, Mikel.

Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire).