By dixon9
February 14 2007

Job done. 3 points more. 3 years unbeaten at home and Drogba has now scored 25 goals this season. This was our last league game of the month so now we have to cross fingers or any other extremity in the hope that Man Utd drop points in their next 2 league games.

Terry was back at the centre of defence and gave a solid display as if he’d never been away but Essien STILL had to play alongside him as Carvalho had a temperature (again – just as before the Liverpool game) on the morning of the match.  I’ve no idea if that was the case – I was sure I saw Clarke’s nose twitch when asked about the Portuguese defender during the post match interview.  Perhaps Carvalho´s absence was due to tactical reasons before the Porto game?

This was a typical display form us.  With key players returning we seem to be returning to “big blue combine harvester mode” – flattening all in its path.  We looked very comfortable throughout the match and when “Boro” did threaten, the talented Yakubu or Viduka seemed to have their firing pins stuck.  Indeed, it was Viduka who uncharacteristically missed his header from a glorious searching cross from Taylor.

Chelsea pressed and pressured.  Lampard sparkled and his passing and service at times was superb.  Shevchenko harried and found space when not on the ball, young Diarra looked like he’d been playing for us for years and Bridge, in the absence of injured Ashley Cole, scampered up and down like a gerbil about to be fed.  Kalou also looked bright and I couldn’t help feeling surprised at seeing 3 forwards on from the beginning.

Drogba missed left and right-footed chances from the edge of the box after excellent work from Lampard´s threaded passes with Shevchenko drawing defenders away.  Kalou and Shevchenko also had chances. (It’s strange how we see matches and players sometimes in a different light – I felt Shevchenko had an excellent match whilst a friend of mine, whose opinion I respect, thought the Ukrainian had a howler!  There was one moment in particular when he showed sublime skill when penned in wide out on the touchline before inexplicably leaving two Boro defenders perplexed.  This was a moment which brought a ripple of appreciation from the Stamford Bridge crowd).

Boro did create at times, notably when Arca's split the Chelsea defence and released Yakubu - with the Nigerian ushered wide, Cech was still required to parry the ball away from the oncoming Viduka.

Half-time loomed with the score line goal-less however, then, a scramble in the box resulted in Boateng clumsily treading on Diarra´s foot near the edge of the box as the 20 year old released his pass.  Admittedly, the foul looked dubious live but the replay showed the offence and indeed, the youngster eventually went off as he was unable to continue.

Lampard and “The Drog” lined up the free-kick, Terry and co made a nuiscence of themselves in the Boro wall, Lamps ran over the ball and then Drogba released his effort which curled in on a low trajectory through the gap created by our advance party.  Schwarzer was presumably unsighted until late and the ball squeezed in by the inside of the post.

The second half was even more encouraging from Chelsea and we started from where we had left off.  Lampard swung a corner in and Shevchenko´s header went close.

I do hasten to add though that Boro were not without their moments, particularly when a cross from Taylor sailed past Cech and onto the crossbar and later, when Downing and Morrison combined on a counter attack with Yakubu blasting wide – perhaps when he should have done better.

Robben then came on for the hobbling Diarra and immediately made an impact: Receiving the ball wide on the right, he poised before three Boro defenders and then flew past one and in-between two before releasing his shot.  Unfortunately, Xavier desperately slid in and directed the ball towards the near corner of goal leaving Schwarzer stranded with no chance. 

Seeing our flying Dutchman once again scurrying down the flanks is so encouraging – and necessary if we are to have any chance of achieving maximum (or near maximum) points in our league games and maintain the pressure on the pretenders to our throne from Old Trafford.

Drogba again went close when after Xavier had blocked a Lampard drive.  Our black panther fired high and wide and in my book, was a bit selfish as a totally unmarked Shevchenko, just 2 yards from the goal-line, was screaming for the ball.

Shortly afterwards, our third goal arrived in the form of a 25 yard diagonal howitzer from Drogba which clipped the head of a Boro defender before booming into the net.