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| February 26, 2006 | Sunday | Muharram 27, 1427 |
British Soccer: Chelsea back in business
LONDON, Feb 25: Leaders Chelsea recovered from their midweek defeat to Barcelona with a 2-0 win over Portsmouth as Real Madrid’s conquerors Arsenal were stung 1-0 by Blackburn in the English Premiership on Saturday.
England midfielder Frank Lampard and Netherlands winger Arjen Robben scored in the second half for champions Chelsea against relegation-threatened Pompey at Stamford Bridge, extending the gap on second-placed Manchester United to 15 points.
Arsenal became the first English team to win at Real Madrid in Tuesday’s Champions League match but they were brought back to earth with a bump at Ewood Park thanks to Norway midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen’s first-half strike.
Rovers leapfrogged the Gunners into fifth place as Arsenal’s hopes of earning a Champions League spot dimmed further.
Birmingham City remain in the relegation zone despite winning 1-0 at home against rock-bottom Sunderland.
Mid-table Charlton Athletic and Aston Villa played out a 0-0 draw before England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, watching Charlton striker Darren Bent.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho made four changes from the side that lost 2-1 to Spanish giants Barcelona in the Champions League at the Bridge on Wednesday.
The Blues had won just three of their previous five matches, and only managed to break down Pompey in the latter stages of the game.
The poor Stamford Bridge pitch hampered both sides’ passing, with players often requiring an extra touch to bring the ball under control.
Chelsea full-back Asier Del Horno, sent off against Barcelona, was hauled off after half an hour as Mourinho threw on Ireland winger Damien Duff in an attacking tactical switch.
Lampard had been having a quiet match until the 65th minute.
Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba broke down the left and crossed the ball in. Eidur Gudjohnsen’s stepover allowed Lampard the chance to place a cool finish in the right hand corner of Kiely’s goal.
Gudjohnsen set up the second for Robben in the 78th minute, sliding the ball between the Pompey full-backs.
The defeat was Portsmouth’s eighth in a row away from Fratton Park and left them firmly mired in relegation trouble.
At Ewood Park, Arsenal launched wave after wave of attacks on Blackburn after Pedersen’s 18th-minute strike.
Wales striker Craig Bellamy’s pacy run down the right set up the goal, with Arsenal’s Switzerland centre-half Philippe Senderos looking woefully exposed.
However, Pedersen lasted a further two minutes before he was subsituted off injured.
Sensing the urgency, the Gunners surged forward but gritty Blackburn, in the mould of their uncompromising manager Mark Hughes, refused to cave in and held out.
The defeat was Arsenal’s fourth in six Premiership matches and left them with a fight on their hands to secure a Champions League qualifying spot.
Birmingham should have scored more at St Andrews against visitors Sunderland but had to make do with England striker Emile Heskey’s header.
The former Liverpool forward, unmarked at the far post, nodded in winger Jermaine Pennant’s inswinging free kick in the 39th minute.
The goal was Heskey’s first in 14 games and only his fifth of the season.
At The Valley, Charlton and Villa played out a goalless draw which would not have impressed Eriksson.
The England boss was in the stands to watch the uncapped Bent, who tried hard and almost scored in an energetic display.
Villa’s Denmark goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen had to be alert to stop Bent claiming his 18th goal of the season, keeping out a first-half shot across the face of goal.
The Villains struggled to create chances for striker Juan Pablo Angel and Milan Baros and only fashioned their first menacing opportunity shortly before the break.
The result left both teams in mid-table.
Results:
Birmingham 1 Sunderland 0
Blackburn 1 Arsenal 0
Charlton 0 Aston Villa 0
Chelsea 2 Portsmouth 0
Playing later:
Newcastle v Everton (1715 GMT)
Playing Sunday:
Bolton v Fulham (1300 GMT)
Liverpool v Man City (1215 GMT)
West Brom v Middlesbrough (1500 GMT).
—Agencies
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