Source: SKY_Sports
Chelsea v Blackburn live!
// A bit of a hack but it works// The article snippet is wrapped onto a second line, even when #article-sub is emptyif( $("div#article-sub").children().length == 0 ) {$("div#article-sub").remove();} Diouf's free-kick doesn't call Cech into action and with that the ref brings the rout to an end. Chelsea were sensational and ruthless and have perhaps sent a warning to their title rivals. Blackburn's woes continue on the road and Big Sam has a difficult season ahead.[LNB]90+3 Essien fouls Kalinic on the edge of the box and Rovers have a late chance to make the score (slightly more) respectable.[LNB]90+2 Ballack and Essien stroke the ball around in midfield. Ivanovic, who has been a willing runner all evening, is then freed down the right but the ball rolls out for a goal-kick.[LNB]90+1 Chelsea have slowed the pace down now.[LNB]90 There will be three very long minutes of optional time for an embattled Blackburn outfit.[LNB]89 This win will send Chelsea top of the table, although Man United will leapfrog the Blues should they beat Liverpool on Sunday.[LNB]88 However, Rovers manage to intercept and bang the ball up-field[LNB]87 Drogba muscles his way past two defenders and attempts to pass the ball to Ballack out wide.[LNB]86 Steven N'Zonzi sells a great dummy that takes Terry and Lampard out of the game. He then spreads the ball out wide to Diouf who hashes the cross.[LNB]85 The final whistle just can't come soon enough for the visitors.[LNB]84 Robinson makes yet another save as Lampard drives in a shot.[LNB]83 Diouf tries his luck from range. But he doesn't catch the volley properly and the ball flies well wide of Cech's goal.[LNB]82 That said Blackburn have enjoyed a decent spell of possession.[LNB]81 One has to feel for Robinson. He hasn't put a foot wrong yet has conceded five goals. And it was a similar story when Blackburn lost 6-2 to Arsenal.[LNB]80 Drogba lays the ball off to Sturridge but he makes poor contact and Robinson collects.[LNB]79 Hoillett's cross is headed away by Terry and Chelsea counter immediately.[LNB]78 Joe Cole gets a standing ovation from the Bridge faithful after an excellent comeback showing. Daniel Sturridge will have just over ten minutes to prove his worth to Carlo Ancelotti.[LNB]77 It's been a frantic half and Rovers have failed to cope with Chelsea's panache and skill.[LNB]76 Drogba drifts out to the wing on the left and knocks in a cross that is well blocked by a Blackburn defender.[LNB]75 Robinson is forced to make a sharp save from Anelka's shot from the edge of the box. But it wouldn't have counted as Lampard of all people was offside.[LNB]74 There is uncertainty amongst the Blackburn defenders and Ivanovic's cross rolls all the way through to Robinson.[LNB]73 Hoillett cuts inside and takes a pop at goal. But the weak shot trickles well wide of Cech's upright.[LNB]72 The set-piece goes to the far post but Drogba chests the ball into touch. Just as well for Rovers because he had time and space.[LNB]71 Salgado concedes a corner as Chelsea continue to pour forward.[LNB]70 Lampard spots Ivanovic's run down the right. Blackburn don't pick up the full-back but under no pressure he hits his cross far too long.[LNB]68 Another change for Blackburn. Pedersen, who has a booking to his name, is replaced by David Hoilett[LNB]67 Blackburn have another chance with a Pedersen long throw. Ballack is back defending and uses his aerial prowess to clear the ball.[LNB]66 Jeffrey Bruma makes his senior debut for Chelsea. Carvalho can put his feet up for the final 20-odd minutes.[LNB]65 But then out of nowhere Blackburn almost score. Martin Olsson's lobbed cross-cum-shot is cleared off the line by Terry.[LNB]64 Blackburn fans at the Bridge are shell-shocked.[LNB]63 GOAL DROGBA! Ballack swings in a corner and Drogba rises highest and with his head flicks the ball past Robinson to continue the rout.[LNB]62 Drogba appeals for another penalty as Robinson appears to make contact with the Ivorian and not the ball. Wiley seems to have some sympathy for Rovers and this time says 'no penalty'.[LNB]61 Chelsea respond with a change of their own. Paulo Ferreira comes on for his first Premier League cap of the season as Belletti makes way.[LNB]60 Jacobsen is withdrawn and Salgado comes into the fray.[LNB]59 GOAL LAMPARD! The England midfielder calmly places the penalty to Robinson's right to make it 4-0.[LNB]58 Anelka toys with his marker and threads the ball through for Drogba. Nelsen fells the striker from behind and Alan Wiley awards a spot kick.[LNB]57 Spanish veteran Michel Salgado is also warming up as Allardyce looks for a way to stem this blue tide.[LNB]56 The full house at the Bridge are in full voice following that double salvo from their side.[LNB]55 Pedersen's cross is gathered by Cech as Blackburn seek their first goal.[LNB]54 Again Rovers fail to press and Anelka has time and space to bang an effort goalwards. This time Robinson manages to save as the ball came in at waist height.[LNB]53 Kalinic comes on for Blackburn. Roberts is the man to make way.[LNB]52 GOAL ESSIEN! Blackburn are all at sea and they fail to close down the Ghanain midfielder. He lets loose an unstoppable drive from over 20 metres out and the ball bends away from Robinson and smashes into the back of the net.[LNB]51 Big Sam is pondering a change as Nikola Kalinic readies for action.[LNB]50 Chelsea are in a rampant mood now and Essien is revelling in midfield.[LNB]49 Blackburn really have their backs against the wall now.[LNB]48 GOAL LAMPARD! A lovely through ball from Essien starts the move as Drogba gets beyond his marker in the area. The striker squares the ball and Lars Jacobsen does well to deflect the ball away from goal. But Lampard is perfectly positioned to latch onto the rebound and he places the ball past Robinson to double Chelsea's lead.[LNB]47 The Londoners go on the attack straight away and Ivanovic swings in a cross that is cleared by Givet.[LNB]46 The second half has started with Rovers playing from right to left.[LNB] It's not looking good for Blackburn so far and the bookmakers at Sky Bet agree. They are 66/1 to come back and win.[LNB] That's the interval folks. Chelsea might feel aggrieved that they only lead by one goal while Big Sam will be patting his goalkeeper on the back for keeping his men in the match.[LNB]45+2 After a goal-mouth scramble the ball drops to Terry and Robinson makes a fine save from his volley. Another corner follows and the Rovers 'keeper eventually gathers the ball after a bit of a fumble.[LNB]45+1 Pedersen fouls Ivanovic on the right wing and goes into the referee's book.[LNB]45 There will be two minutes of added time.[LNB]44 Blackburn then win a set-piece on the left flank. Pedersen lofts the free-kick to the far post with Diouf's run in mind. But Cech makes a confident catch.[LNB]43 It is Drogba who steps up and the effort crashes into the wall. The rebound falls to Lampard and his shot is wide of Robinson's goal.[LNB]42 Drogba draws a free-kick off Andrews in a very dangerous area. The Ivorian places the ball about 20 yards out and looks the favourite to strike it.[LNB]41 With one touch from Cech's long kick Drogba creates space for Lampard. He threads the ball into Anelka's path and the striker's shot flashes just wide of the upright.[LNB]40 Diouf is flagged for offside as the men from Lancashire look for a way back into the game.[LNB]39 Lampard also tries his luck from range but doesn't strike the ball cleanly.[LNB]38 At the other end Drogba's rocket of a shot is punched clear by Robinson. And Cole was again the architect of Chelsea's attack.[LNB]37 A mistake from Cech almost lets Diouf in as the goalkeeper misses a punch from Pedersen's long throw.[LNB]36 Pedersen's cross looks for Emerton in the area in a rare Blackburn attack. Terry deals with the danger comfortably.[LNB]35 Steven Reid is warming up on the touchline. He's overcome a serious knee injury and could feature later for Rovers.[LNB]34 It's all about damage control for Blackburn at this stage of the match.[LNB]33 Robinson is called into action again as he blocks Anelka's shot following great work from Lampard and Cole on the edge of the 'D',[LNB]32 Again Rovers find themselves under pressure. Nelsen heads clear a cross but only as far as Ballack who whips the ball back in. Lampard surprisingly wins the aerial battle and heads straight at Robinson.[LNB]31 So just over half an hour gone at the Bridge and Chelsea are full value for their lead.[LNB]30 Space opens up in front of Essien and the Ghana international fancies a crack from distance. The shot is however always rising and Rovers have a goal-kick.[LNB]29 The Kiwi is good to go and the match restarts. Pedersen and Brett Emerton probe down the left but the Australian is penalised and Chelsea have a free-kick deep in their own half.[LNB]28 There's another stoppage as Ryan Nelsen takes a breather after a challenge with Drogba.[LNB]27 Roberts finally latches onto a long ball. Terry marks him tightly so the striker lays the ball off for Pedersen but his daisy-cutter spins wide of the upright.[LNB]26 The scoreline isn't that surprising considering Chelsea are unbeaten at the Bridge. Blackburn meanwhile haven't picked up a single win away from Ewood Park this season.[LNB]25 Rovers are still trying to knock the ball long but Roberts is totally isolated up front.[LNB]24 Blackburn's backline is under siege and Ballack's cracking shot is blocked by Givet, who atones for his earlier error somewhat.[LNB]22 But the Blues are seeking a second and Drogba squanders a great chance from a Lampard corner by slicing his effort wide of the mark.[LNB]21 Blackburn try to regroup after going a goal down under unfortunate circumstances.[LNB]20 OWN-GOAL GIVET! A quick counter-attack from Chelsea tears open the Blackburn defence. Ballack releases Anelka down the left wing and the striker's low cross is turned in by Givet under serious pressure from a certain Didier Drogba.[LNB]19 Chelsea get a shot at goal after Lampard and Cole combine well. But the latter's toe-poke hasn't the power to trouble Robinson.[LNB]18 At the other end Ivanovic concedes a free-kick after tugging on Martin Olsson's shirt. Petr Cech though makes no mistake and plucks the delivery out of the air with ease.[LNB]17 Ivanovic's cross from the right is cut out by Givet.[LNB]16 Cole cuts open the Rovers defence with an audacious drag-flick from a Lampard pass. Anelka races towards goal but Robinson is alert and gets to the ball first.[LNB]15 A rare Blackburn foray forward breaks down and Essien can attack again.[LNB] Adam Harper adds he hopes Chelsea win 'because Blackburn beat Burnley'[LNB]13 Lampard strikes the dead ball but his technique lets him down so the ball never troubles Robinson.[LNB]12 The Blues win a free-kick about 20 yards from goal after a Ga?Givet hand ball.[LNB]11 El Hadji Diouf looks like Blackburn's primary attacking weapon but he's been closely watched by the Blues rearguard.[LNB]10 Ballack plays a diagonal pass to Lampard who is lurking on the fringes of the Rovers' defence. The midfielder hits a sweet long-range effort that just drifts wide of Robinson's goal.[LNB]9 Play resumes and Carvalho looks fine for now after recovering from that knock.[LNB] 'Rovers fan here, really fear for us today without Chimbonda, Samba and Dunn. Don't like to say it but we could be in for a heavy defeat, Chelsea have left their poor form behind after beating Atletico Madrid.' - Nigel from Ireland[LNB] hi my name is adam harper i think chelsea will win but i dont support them it is because blackburn are my favourite teams rivals burnley, that is why i want to chelsea to win[LNB]8 There is a stoppage as Carvalho goes down heavily after an aerial challenge with Jason Roberts.[LNB]7 It's been a bit aimless from the visitors who are resorting to long hacks up-field.[LNB]6 Michael Essien and Michael Ballack are starting to dominate in midfield. Rovers have nine men behind the ball.[LNB]5 Morten Gamst Pedersen picks up a poor header from Terry on the edge of the area. Luckily for the England captain, Ricardo Carvalho covers and dispossesses the Norway international.[LNB]4 Rovers have a chance to get some bodies forward with a free-kick that is bombed up-field by Paul Robinson. It comes to nought though as the Blues' defence is well organised.[LNB]3 Branislav Ivanovic wins a throw-in deep in Blackburn territory.[LNB]2 Drogba's clever ball over the top is chased by Anelka, but the Frenchman doesn't have the pace to get on the end of it.[LNB]1 Chelsea get the match underway and there is an early touch for Joe Cole and John Terry. Frank Lampard makes a good run down the left and Cole's header flies just wide of the target[LNB] Hi Stephen from Newcastle here - i think Chelsea will run out comfortable winners here 3 - 0 prediction. Joe Cole being the key player.[LNB] Send your thoughts on this match to richard.ferraris@teamtalkmedia.co.za[LNB]Pre-match: Striker Franco Di Santo, on loan at Blackburn, is ineligible against his parent club while in-form David Dunn is also missing with flu. Brett Emerton has been recalled on the right but defensive pair Christopher Samba and Pascal Chimbonda are ruled out because of flu and a calf strain respectively and are replaced by Gael Givet and Martin Olsson.[LNB] England midfielder Joe Cole starts his first league game since January but left-back Ashley Cole is sidelined with a knee injury.Branislav Ivanovic moves to left-back with Juliano Belletti remaining at right-back. Ricardo Carvalho returns to partner John Terry after being rested for the midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid. Salomon Kalou, despite his two goals in midweek, is on the bench with Didier Drogba returning to the attack in his place.[LNB] Rovers are rated at 14/1 to win this match according to Sky Bet. Didier Drogba is 7/2 to open the scoring while the price on Nicolas Anelka to do that is 4/1[LNB]Blackburn: Robinson, Jacobsen, Olsson, Nelsen, Givet, Andrews, Nzonzi, Pedersen, Emerton, Diouf, Roberts Subs: Brown, McCarthy, Reid, Kalinic, Hoilett, Salgado, Jones[LNB]Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry, Belletti, Essien, Ballack, Lampard, Joe Cole, Anelka, Drogba Subs: Hilario, Malouda, Paulo Ferreira, Deco, Kalou, Sturridge, Bruma[LNB] Welcome to live coverage of Blackburn's trip to Chelsea...[LNB]
