Source: Daily_Mail
Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 1: Drogba fires late winner to keep Blues in title hunt
Didier Drogba's late strike settled the match at Fratton Park, a reminder for the new Portsmouth manager Paul Hart that the beautiful game can still bring the most brutal results.
Portsmouth did not deserve this, rough justice on a team who fought for Hart and fought for every inch of the windswept, rain-sodden turf against high-calibre opposition.
They were beaten by a strike of the highest quality, curled beyond the unsighted Portsmouth keeper David James 11 minutes from time by a player with a point to prove.
Tough luck on a team fighting for their lives near the foot of the table. Hart will stay until the end of the season, attempting to plot the path to another season in the Premier League, with the help of his astute assistant Brian Kidd.
They remain 16th in the table after Drogba's strike, staring up at Chelsea
this morning and wondering how they failed to finish off Stamford Bridge title ambitions.
It was cup-tie stuff, with Pompey's supporters crackling into life as they sensed an upset, a win that would be their first over Chelsea since 1957.
Drogba's strike illustrated the narrow margin between success and failure as Pompey fought to within touching distance of ending Chelsea's ambitious plans to overhaul the best team on the planet, Manchester United.
Chelsea fancy their chances, with Drogba scoring only his second League goal this season and taking off on a remarkable celebration before being stopped by swathes of yellow-shirted team-mates.
Guus Hiddink, soaked on the sidelines, barely flinched, reminding his players that their fourth straight victory, three in the Premier League, was not yet secure.
He sent on Michael Mancienne towards the end to replace Michael Ballack, closing the game out in a style reminiscent of a certain managerial predecessor.
John Terry celebrates with Drogba after the striker scored late on
One-nil to the Chelsea is enough to keep them in it, enough for the players to march towards the hordes of supporters stationed behind the goal and throw their muddied shirts into the baying mob.
They want more of this and Hiddink's team are promising to provide it as they chase the impossible dream of catching Manchester United at the top of the table and the more realistic targets, the Champions League and FA Cup.
Anything is possible after this streaky victory. Somehow they are still in the hunt for the title, ensuring another agonising week for Chelsea's supporters, but Portsmouth deserved more than this. Much more.
They were beaten 4-0 at Stamford Bridge on the first day of the season, ripped apart by Deco, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka, but that was never likely to happen last night.
Hart has this team organised, scrambling towards safety with a victory over Manchester City on Valentine's Day.
They matched Chelsea man for man, warriors all, as they chased a momentous victory.
They should have won this, denied by the brilliance of Petr Cech in Chelsea's goal, turning Sean Davis's long-range effort over the bar in the first half and then palming David Nugent's effort around the post after the break.
Pompey paraded the FA Cup for the last time ahead of kick-off before it was spirited back to Soho Square after the game in an armoured vehicle.
It is safe to say it will not been seen at Fratton Park for a while so it was given a fitting send-off by 20,000 Portsmouth supporters setting their sights on another season in the Premier League.
That is the target for Hart and Kidd, popular with the players after the confusing thoughts of Tony Adams, as they prepare the team to power their way from the foot of the table.
But this was a visit from a team energised by the arrival of Hiddink with three wins on the spin under the new manager and intent on securing a fourth.
They were missing Nicolas Anelka, given the evening off after stubbing his toe in training on Monday and told to use the recovery time to prepare for Saturday's trip to Coventry's Ricoh Arena.
Instead, Drogba shouldered responsibility, throwing himself into challenges and reminding owner Roman Abramovich of some of the reasons why he spent £24million to sign him from Marseille in the summer of 2004.
Only the conditions at Fratton Park prevented him scoring in the first half when he mistimed his run when Ashley Cole prodded the ball across the penalty area.
No-one could blame him, sliding across the face of James' goalmouth as he
attempted to connect with Cole's cross, but his reward for this impressive, diligent and disciplined performance was the winning goal.
He got it when Jose Bosingwa's cross fell to him invitingly inside the area, taking a touch to set himself and then sweeping his effort beyond James.
It was a goal of stunning quality, not enough to turn the title in their favour, but enough to suggest Chelsea will take this to the bitter end.
