Source: Daily_Mail
Chelsea 4 West Ham 1: Drogba's double sends Blues back to the summit
Chelsea may have gone back to the top of the Premier League withthis victory but in the coming weeks they face challenges that willdefine their season and success, or otherwise, of manager CarloAncelotti.[LNB] Inter Milan loom large on Tuesday and Manchester United are on the horizon, too. [LNB]Yet none of the those tests will be as straightforward as the winover West Ham, a team who would be relegation certainties if the Leaguewas not so bereft of quality in the lower reaches. [LNB] Make mine a double: Didier Drogba completes the rout[LNB] [LNB]Ancelotti greeted his Italian counterpart at West Ham, Gianfranco Zola, with a continental kiss. It set the tone for West Ham's challenge: amicable and unthreatening.[LNB]A spectacular strike from Scott Parker rallied the team of Zola, the returning hero of Stamford Bridge. [LNB]And it may even have had some Chelsea stalwarts a mite concerned inview of how their team imploded here against Manchester City. [LNB]But there was little tension in the air and few would have feared that Chelsea would not regain top spot.[LNB] In the right place: Didier Drogba puts Chelsea 2-1 up[LNB] West Ham were lightweight, starting with a forward line that hadmustered one Premier League goal between them this season and the sidedisplayed little of the desire expected of teams in their position.[LNB] 'Every match we play at the moment can decide our future,' said Ancelotti. [LNB]'We had a bad day against Manchester City and it was important after that defeat to have a good reaction.' [LNB]Zola stressed the positives, as he saw them. [LNB]'Until their second goal we were playing well, keeping control,' he said.[LNB] 'Until that we had a chance. My team worked hard and didn't deserve the result.' [LNB]In his defence, managing the Hammers is a devil of a job. [LNB] Happy Hammers: Scott Parker is the centre of attention after his stunning equaliser[LNB] [LNB]Zola's vice-chairman, Karren Brady, used her newspaper column todiscuss her manager's potential future employment and the bestendorsement she could muster was: 'I don't have a crystal ball so Ican't say what will happen.' [LNB]But Zola did little to enhance his long-term prospects. He saidCarlton Cole was left out because of a knee problem which curtails histraining and Alessandro Diamanti was likewise confined to the bench infavour of a counter attacking 4-5-1 formation. [LNB]But if Kieron Dyer and Araujo Ilan possessed the pace Zola was attempting to use, they hid it well. [LNB]Ilan had the best chance of rattling Chelsea's confidence. Eightyards out on 15 minutes, with scarcely a defender within arms' reach,the Brazilian snatched at his shot and sent it into the stand.[LNB] Within 60 seconds of that miss, West Ham were made to pay. Theycleared a Florent Malouda corner but no one closed down the winger andhe provided another cross for unmarked Alex to head home.[LNB] West Ham's defending was so poor that further calamities seemedinevitable. It was, therefore, a shock when they equalised on 30minutes. [LNB]The build-up included a comical foul throw from Dyer: foot off theground and the arc of the ball never behind his head. It would haveshamed a six-year-old schoolboy. [LNB] High jumper: Alex beats Jonathan Spector to the ball to open the scoring[LNB] [LNB]John Obi Mikel ought to have cleared but allowed the ball to drop for former Chelsea man Parker, who chested it down and hit a spectacular half-volley from 30 yards past Ross Turnbull. [LNB]No blame could be attached to the stand-in keeper; the shot would have beaten the world's best.[LNB] Normal service was resumed in the 56th minute when John Terry played in Malouda, who sent a cross towards the far post. There lurked Drogba, unmarked, to nod the ball in. [LNB]Any semblance of a contest ended on 77 minutes when Malouda scored. [LNB]Drogba knocked down a long ball for the Frenchman, who attacked space as debutant Fabio Daprela backed off. He turned inside a defender and struck the third. '[LNB]This was Malouda's best performance,' said Ancelotti. 'I hope he plays like that on Tuesday.' [LNB]There was even time for Lampard to strike a post from three yards but he atoned in the 90th minute with a powerful shot which Green spilled, spoiling an otherwise impressive display in front of Fabio Capello. Drogba was on hand to strike his second of the afternoon and complete a routine, but satisfying, afternoon for Chelsea. [LNB] Shaky Chelsea turn to No 3 Turnbull with Cech and Hilario sidelinedChelsea can expect Inter backlash after calamitous crash at CataniaHiddink rejects World Cup offer from Ivory Coast despite Drogba's hard sellCHELSEA FC
