EPL
Heurelho Gomes turned from villain to hero as he stopped an injury time penalty after he himself was responsible for conceding the penalty as Tottenham and Chelsea played out a 1-1 draw in a highly pulsating contest which also saw Frank Lampard return to action after spending 3 months on the sidelines.
Spurs missed former Chelsea player Gallas in defence but his place was taken by experienced campaigner Michael Dawson, who was returning from a long layoff while Anelka took his place up front for the visitors after being rested for the trip to France in the midweek. Chelsea, looking to turnaround their recent fortunes, started off with a positive intent and came close to going ahead as Ivanovic’s freekick just went wide.
But it was the home team that was going to break the deadlock. Defoe’s cross from the left fell at the feet of Pavlyuchenko, who’s first touch took him away from two defenders and then struck a left footed drive past Cech. The game was building up some tempo as Kalou came close to scoring twice. Ferreira was lucky to escape a booking after a rash tackle on Bale while Assou Ekotto wasn’t as lucky as he was shown the yellow card after a fierce tackle on Kalou. Pavlyuchenko fired a volley above the bar while Kalou missed another chance as the champions went into the break trailing by a goal.
Ancelotti brought on Drogba during the interval and Chelsea dominated possession and the game thereon although Defoe and Modric came close to doubling Tottenham’s lead early in the second half. Drogba tested Gomes with a low drive and the goalkeeper also did well to keep out a goalbound ball which had come off Palacios’ head. Redknapp introduced Crouch for Defoe while Chelsea made their second change bringing on Sturridge for Kalou. And finally they broke through!
Drogba controlled a long ball with his chest, shrugged aside Dawson and unleashed a powerful shot at Gomes. The goalkeeper should have fisted it away but the ball had enough power to bounce off over the goalkeeper and trickle over the line. With 13 minutes remaining, Ancelotti brought on Lampard as Chelsea looked to go for the kill.
Chelsea’ continued domination finally reaped rewards in the 90th minute as Gomes brought down Ramires in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Drogba stepped up but could not complete Chelsea’s turnaround as Gomes made a fine save to his left and both teams had to settle for a point, a result that Tottenham would have taken at kickoff. A result that would delight Chelsea’s arch rivals Arsenal and Manchester United!
Tags: Arsenal, Chelsea, English Premier League, EPL, Football, Frank Lampard, Heurelho Gomes, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
