Even an injury-time winner by Roberto Di Matteo was overshadowed by a
disgraceful touchline row between staff and substitutes that ended with Coventry
boss Gordon Strachan being ordered from the dug-out at Stamford Bridge.
The clash between the two sides on the pitch will be remembered for the
Chelsea clawed their way back after conceding an early goal to Darren Huckerby,
his seventh strike in three games.
Frank Leboeuf levelled four minutes into added time at the end of the
first-half and then Di Matteo struck just as late on in injury-time at the end
of the match to keep the London side at the top of the table.
But there was no way that the shameful scenes witnessed on the touchline after
83 minutes can be allowed to rest without a serious investigation.
Chelsea's determination to gain the winner overspilled when their staff
clashed with their Coventry counterparts in their desperation to retrieve the
ball after it went out for a throw-in.
Strachan held on to the ball as he sought treatment for George Boateng but
Chelsea assistant physio Terry Byrne forced his way over to the Sky Blues
dug-out.
A mass of staff and players then started pushing and shoving each other in an
ugly confrontation.
No punches were thrown but police and stewards had to force their way between
the warring factions to segregate them before referee Jeff Winter finally
intervened to send Strachan to the stands as well as Blues' kit man Aaron
Lincoln.
Yet Strachan's temper will not have been helped by the way his side then
conceded a late winner after producing an incredibly motivated performance to
derail Chelsea for 93 minutes.
The Sky Blues had taken Chelsea apart in the opening 20 minutes of their
encounter at Highfield Road on the opening day of the season.
And they repeated that start at Stamford Bridge as they tirelessly hustled
Chelsea in midfield, with Huckerby a constant menace up front.
Chelsea were handicapped in central defence by the loss of Marcel Desailly
through injury and Michael Duberry through suspension.
Leboeuf and Bernard Lambourde were given a torrid time early on as Boateng
forced keeper Ed De Goey into a diving save.
It merely proved an indication of what was to come as Gary McAllister hoisted
a long ball over the top and the two Chelsea defenders failed to clear, allowing
Huckerby to pounce.
The Dutchman had not been beaten for 495 minutes before the start of play
after five clean sheets but his record was extended by only another eight
minutes as the Coventry striker lobbed the ball over him and into the back of
the net.
Chelsea certainly had their chances, even though they were forced to speed up
their normally measured build-up play, and player-boss Gianluca Vialli was the
main culprit for wasting openings.
He placed one shot across the face of goal and then completely missed his kick
after being set up by an unselfish pass from Gianfranco Zola.
However much Chelsea pressed though, they remained vulnerable to the pace of
Huckerby and Steve Froggatt, and the winger headed one chance narrowly wide
before striking another shot against the upright after rounding De Goey.
The home side upped the tempo yet again just before the break but still came
up against resolute blanket defending.
It was left to Leboeuf to take matters into his own hands in thrilling style
as he brought the ball out of defence, stepped inside McAllister with aplomb and
then let fly with a thunderous shot into the top corner from 20 yards out.
Huckerby was just as dangerous after the break, pouncing on another McAllister
through-ball only to see his shot deflected.
Although his side were largely penned back into defence, whenever he got the
chance to break away, the striker caused major headaches in the Chelsea back
four.
Lambourde appeared particularly uncomfortable and Strachan almost burst a
blood vessel on the sidelines when the defender escaped punishment after
apparently holding back Huckerby in the penalty area.
Chelsea piled forward in ever increasing numbers but Vialli's woes in front of
goal continued and their final ball kept on letting them down.
However, their frantic desire to snatch a late winner overspilled into the
ridiculous touchline row that led to the dismissals of Strachan and Lincoln.
With stewards and police providing segregation between the two dug-outs,
attention turned back to the pitch and somehow Chelsea snatched victory just as
they had done in added time against Aston Villa last month.
Di Matteo was this time the hero, firing in a 20-yard shot that beat Hedman to
rifle into the back of the net.
Chelsea's only consolation is that they do not have to face Coventry again in
the Premiership this season.
Investigations over the touchline row must now take place though.
Teams
Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer (Goldbaek 85), Lambourde, Leboeuf,
Le Saux, Petrescu, Wise, Di Matteo, Babayaro, Vialli, Zola.
Subs Not Used: Hitchcock, Nicholls, Terry, Morris.
Goals: Leboeuf 45, Di Matteo 90.
Coventry: Hedman, Nilsson, Shaw, Williams, Burrows, Telfer,
McAllister (Aloisi 90), Soltvedt, Froggatt, Huckerby, Boateng.
Subs Not Used: Breen, Jackson, Ogrizovic, Edworthy.
Booked: Hedman, Burrows, Telfer, Boateng.
Goals: Huckerby 9.
Att: 34,869
Ref: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).
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