Chelsea kept their Premier League title hopes alive by staging a
smash-and-grab raid on a Bolton side who must now be looking furtively over
their shoulder to the relegation zone
Claudio Ranieri's team barely deserved a point from their visit to the Reebok
Stadium, never mind all three, yet credit where it is due for they scored the
goals that mattered after Bolton had run themselves into the ground.
John Terry and Damien Duff both scored within the space of two minutes, with
less than 20 minutes of the match remaining, to chalk up a fifth consecutive
away win in the league.
For Bolton boss Sam Allardyce, it is now four successive defeats - with three
in the league - and with little respite as pretenders-to-the-crown Arsenal and
Champions League hopefuls Newcastle are up next.
Yet if Bolton continue to perform as they did in this game, particularly in
the first half, then that much needed and elusive victory will surely fall their
way.
Allardyce, though, must have headed into the dressing room at the break
wondering how his side had failed to break the deadlock after watching a
one-sided opening 45 minutes.
It was Bolton who looked more like championship challengers than the visitors,
who were completely thrown out of their stride by their opponents' sheer
tenacity and willingness to fight for every ball.
In fairness to Chelsea, all but one of Bolton's multitude of opportunities
were outside the area, although Wanderers were perfectly within their rights to
put goalkeeper Marco Ambrosio, on his Premier League debut, under as much
pressure as possible.
With Carlo Cudicini and Neil Sullivan both sidelined through injury, Ranieri
was left with no option but to hand 30-year-old Ambrosio, a free transfer
signing from Chievo in the summer, his first league game.
Ambrosio had previously made just one appearance for the Blues, that an
unconvincing display at Notts County in the Carling Cup earlier this season, but
he proved his worth on this occasion.
After Kevin Nolan had cracked a left-foot volley from 22 yards narrowly wide
in the sixth minute, Bolton were twice unlucky not to take the lead soon after.
From a 12th-minute free-kick deep in Bolton territory, after Simon Charlton
had been accidentally elbowed by Jesper Gronkjaer, an eventual flick on from
Stelios Giannakopoulos fell the way of Henrik Pedersen.
The Dane, back in the starting line-up after a two-match absence, struck a
first-time drive from 12 yards which had Ambrosio beaten, only for the ball to
hit the inside of the keeper's left-hand post, spin back through the six-yard
box and out of play.
A minute later Ambrosio superbly beat away a Jay-Jay Okocha drive after Bolton
had worked a move down the left wing, culminating in Nolan's lay off.
What followed was all Bolton and Okocha for midway through the half he
unleashed a stinging 20-yard drive which Ambrosio just managed to push wide.
Okocha again cursed his luck in the 27th minute, for with Chelsea under total
pressure, William Gallas cleared a Giannakopoulos chipped cross to the Nigerian
who instinctively let fly with a right-foot volley from 22 yards which was again
narrowly wide.
A free-kick from similar distance, after Chelsea skipper Marcel Desailly had
fouled Pedersen, was inches over the crossbar soon after, before Kevin Davies
finally appeared to have beaten Ambrosio five minutes before the break.
However, a dipping half-volley from almost 35 yards as the Italian was
standing on the edge of his six-yard box, again fell the wrong side of the
woodwork to the anguish of all concerned with Bolton.
Just before the interval another chance fell Okocha's way, but from 19 yards a
left-foot half-volley lacked the power of previous opportunities, although
Ambrosio almost made a meal of gathering a relatively straightforward ball.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bolton were unable to maintain their attacking verve
after the break and with six minutes of the re-start Frank Lampard had Chelsea's
first chance, a stinging 25-yard right-footer which a full-stretch Jussi
Jaaskelainen superbly pushed wide.
Geremi was also slightly wayward with a long-range shot of his own, before
Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink - searching for his 100th Premier League goal - dragged
wide a 10-yard effort when well placed.
Yet with Bolton appearing to run out of gas, Chelsea first took advantage in
the 71st minute as a Duff cross from the right wing was flicked on by
Hasselbaink for Terry to volley home from seven yards.
Two minutes later and the game was over as an incisive move culminated in
Hasselbaink's low ball through the six-yard box being tapped home by a sliding
Duff, with Jaaskelainen simply helping it on its way.
There was still time for Joe Cole, a 66th-minute substitute for Hernan Crespo,
to see a shot cleared off the line by Charlton, while it was clearly not
Okocha's day as a late side-foot effort was beaten away by Ambrosio.
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