Source: Daily_Mail
Chelsea 2 Portsmouth 1: Lampard's late penalty spoils Grant's return
Not for the first time in his career, Avram Grant had reason to rue the outcome of a Chelsea penalty as Frank Lampard proved he really is a man for all seasons.[LNB] The manager who saw his finest hour snatched away in Moscow, when John Terry's slip cost Chelsea the 2008 Champions League final, was once again put through a spot-kick nightmare as cracks continued to appear in Carlo Ancelotti's masterplan.[LNB] Lamps on: Frank Lampard celebrates scoring the winner for Chelsea from the penalty spot[LNB]This time, with Grant sat in the visitors' dug-out, there were no fluffed lines from Chelsea at the death. Lampard's winning penalty, 11 minutes from time, won't rank as a highlight of Ancelotti's first season in charge, but it could turn out to be hugely significant.[LNB] Against the backdrop of a winless four-match streak, another set-piece equaliser conceded and the clock ticking down against the division's bottom team, Lampard's latest intervention could have an enormous bearing.[LNB] Remember, too, that the England midfielder - the man who never misses - blotted his copybook recently when last asked a question from 12 yards at the City of Manchester Stadium.[LNB] Nic-knak: Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka (right) turns away after breaking the deadlock[LNB] [LNB] So, all things considered, a victory without the talismanic DidierDrogba should not be scoffed at, particularly as Ancelotti's side leftit late, without totally convincing anyone that they could land thekiller blow.[LNB] [LNB]Match facts and stats Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech 6; Ivanovic 6, Alex 6, Terry 5, Cole 6; Mikel 5 (Malouda 64, 6), Deco 5 (Cole 58, 6), Lampard 6, Ballack 7; Anelka 6, Kalou 5 (Borini 71, 5).[LNB]Portsmouth (4-5-1): Begovic 8; Finnan 6, Ben Haim 6, Wilson 6, Hreidarsson 6; Boateng 6, Mokoena 7, Diop 6 (Hughes 60, 6), Mullins 7, O'Hara 8; Piquionne 6 (Dindane 71, 6).[LNB]Man of the match: Asmir Begovic.[LNB]Referee: Mark Clattenburg.[LNB] Chelsea Portsmouth 8.....................Shots on target...................2 13.................Shots off target....................4 5......................Blocked shots....................2 11.........................Corners..........................2 10............................Fouls..........................11 4...........................Offsides........................4 512...................Total passes................336 85%.............Passing success............73% 20.....................Total tackles.................22 70%............Tackles success.............86% 60%..................Possession.................40% 63%....................Territory.....................37%[LNB] However, cometh the hour, cometh Lampard. He has played through barbs for club and country.[LNB]No hiding place for Frank when Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spotafter an horrendous error of judgment by Marc Wilson. The Chelsea manstepped up and the points were counted.[LNB]'We lost our composure for 15 minutes after their goal,' saidAncelotti. 'It became a difficult game for us. After that, we did OK.After four games without a win, the confidence was not there.[LNB] 'But we showed a good reaction and closed the game down well. In theend, it was an important game to win. We did a good job, not abeautiful one.'[LNB] It was possible to feel a shred of sympathy for Grant. Dumped unceremoniously after taking Chelsea to within a kick of being crowned the champions of Europe, revenge wason the cards here. It would have been all the sweeter, too, for themanner of the Pompey goal. It was a major fluke.[LNB] A free-kick 30 yards out, after Terry had fouled Kevin-Prince Boateng,was taken by Jamie O'Hara. It did not have sufficient power to beatCech, but deflected off Kalou's hand, into Ashley Cole's face and on toPiquionne.[LNB] Piq pocket: Portsmouth's Frederic Piquionne grabs the equaliser against Chelsea[LNB]The bounce favoured the forward and he lashed the ball into the roof of the net with relish. Twelve out of the last 14 goals conceded by Chelsea have now come as a result of set pieces.[LNB] What started out as an uncomfortable blip now looks like turning into a nasty habit that is threatening to undermine Ancelotti's title chances. [LNB]Not so Fab: Chelsea's Fabio Borini reacts after missing a great chance to score[LNB] [LNB]Until then, however, Chelsea had been heading for a routine victory.After a few near misses, the opener arrived via an unorthodox source,although it was scored by an orthodox one. [LNB]For some reason, centre back Alex had loitered out to the rightand he was near the corner flag when he worked the ball out of thattight spot. [LNB]Wilson had been dragged there by the Brazilian and was soon left trailing as the defender ran along the by-line. Anelka pulled away from the near post and the defender's pass ended at the Frenchman's feet thanks to a deflection off Tal Ben Haim.[LNB] Soon, the trademark doves were flying as Anelka celebrated sweeping the ball into the bottom corner for his eighth goal of the season.[LNB] Piquionne had forced Petr Cech into a smart stop 10 minutes before the interval in Pompey's only real attack of note until that point. But the pattern changed five minutes into the second half when the visitors' lone forward struck.[LNB] It brought a stinging response. Joe Cole was thrown on, as was Florent Malouda. Still no breakthrough came for an increasingly agitated home crowd. Branislav Ivanovic stung Asmir Begovic's fingers with a fierce drive, but his next contribution was to have a lasting effect.[LNB] He pushed the ball forwards, inviting the tackle on a horribly slippery turf. Wilson needed only to be a fraction out with the timing of his lunge. He was more than a little late and the big defender was sent sprawling.[LNB] Grant said: 'Marc is a young player and a very good one. But it costs to get that experience. It was a mistake and a pity for us because I couldn't see how Chelsea would score. The result was disappointing but the performance wasn't. It was top versus bottom but I couldn't see a big difference.'[LNB] This was Grant's first time on the losing side at Stamford Bridge. For half-an-hour, there seemed every chance his record would stay intact. Then the nerveless Lampard stepped forward. [LNB] Ribery closer to £45m Chelsea move as Bayern reveal fears over his contractDrogba is the world's best striker, says Portsmouth boss Avram GrantAvram Grant: Abramovich blamed me for Terry's Champions League howlerCHELSEA FC
