Source: Daily_Mail
Fulham 0 Chelsea 0: Torres and Blues draw a blank again as title bid starts to fade
Jose Mourinho's sense of mischief must have clicked into overdrive as he gazed down from the stands at Craven Cottage and assessed the mystery of how Carlo Ancelotti might best accommodate Fernando Torres. [LNB]Having endured something similar with Andriy Shevchenko once upon a time, Mourinho may even feel sympathy for the Chelsea manager, who made the bold decision to axe Didier Drogba to play Torres at centre forward, only for it to backfire. [LNB]The Spain star lasted 71 minutes at Fulham, slightly longer than he did on his debut against Liverpool, before departing to cries of 'What a waste of money'.[LNB] Chest not good enough: Fernando Torres endured another disappointing evening for Chelsea[LNB]Drogba came on and looked hungrier than ever but Chelsea drew another blank and were grateful for a penalty save by Petr Cech in added time to stop Clint Dempsey stealing all three points for the hosts. [LNB]After two games without a goal, the champions are 12 points behind Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester United with 12 games to play. [LNB]More worryingly for Ancelotti, they are two points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham and the momentum they recovered in mid-January seems have vanished amid the disruption caused by the arrival of a ?50million striker.[LNB] Spot of bother: Petr Cech saves a penalty from Clint Dempsey, who then fires the rebound spectacularly wide (below)[LNB] Torres moved intelligently last night but his touch was poor from the start, when he clipped his first meaningful pass into the crowd. He made some nice little contributions but standards are exacting when you cost so much and his mistakes were regular enough to keep the home fans amused. [LNB]He did not link the play particularly well and there was no sign of his killer instinct in front of goal. Too tense? Too eager to impress? Whatever the reason it was painful to watch. Torres cannot play in the FA Cup against Everton on Saturday because he is cup-tied and will relish the break. [LNB]Come in number nine: Torres is replaced by Didier Drogba after a dismal evening[LNB]Sent clear by David Luiz just before half-time, his touch deserted him and allowed Mark Schwarzer to smother the ball. [LNB]Another feeble effort was easily saved by the Fulham goalkeeper, although Chelsea thought their record signing was also punished for trying to stay on his feet when he was clipped inside the penalty area by Chris Baird. [LNB]He went closer after the half-time break. First, a header from an excellent Ramires cross looped over from eight yards, then a curler with his right foot did not quite bend enough. In between, he dithered when Frank Lampard rolled a quick free-kick his way and was dispossessed. [LNB]In an effort to help, Chelsea fans sang his name.[LNB]If Torres misfired, he was in good company. Branislav Ivanovic gave the ball away cheaply early on, as did Nicolas Anelka, an error which sparked a rapid Fulham break and a timely intervention from the impressive Luiz to thwart Andy Johnson. [LNB]Brazilian Luiz, a ?25m deadline signing from Benfica, looks far more comfortable in his new surroundings than Torres. Quick across the ground, capable of reading the game well and stylish on the ball, he appears to have adjusted to the faster tempo of English football. [LNB]At least he did until his needless foul on Dempsey, two minutes into added time. Referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot and Dempsey's effort was saved by Cech, diving to his right. [LNB]Dempsey hooked the rebound over the bar. Dean had earlier rejected an appeal from the visitors when Florent Malouda was bundled over by Brede Hangeland.[LNB]Sir and the hoodie: Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho (left) watches his old team with Lord Sebastian Coe[LNB] Defeat would have been a cruel twist for Ancelotti, who abandoned his one-game experiment to cram Torres, Anelka and Drogba into the same team and reverted to the formation which has been the template for Chelsea's success over the last seven seasons. [LNB]Mourinho, on a break from Real Madrid, was there to enjoy the compliment. The visitors were the better team but rarely threatened Fulham's goal. Cech made the first save of the night, punching away a swerving shot from former Chelsea winger Damien Duff.[LNB] The visitors found some rhythm before half-time. Lampard and Malouda went close before the break and the Blues dominated the second half as Fulham sat back. It was a risky strategy but it did deny Torres the chance to capitalise on space behind the back four.[LNB]Tough battle: Fulham's Belgium player Moussa Dembele vies with Chelsea's Brazilian defender David Luiz[LNB] [LNB]MATCH FACTS FULHAM (4-4-1-1): Schwarzer 6; Baird 6, Hughes 6, Hangeland 6, Salcido 7; Duff 6, Murphy 6 (Gera 83min), Sidwell 6, Dempsey 7; Dembele 7 (Gudjohnsen 83); A Johnson 6 (Davies 74, 6). Subs not used: Stockdale, Kelly, Pantsil, Greening. Booked: Sidwell, Gera. CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 7; Ivanovic 8, Luiz 6, Terry 6, Cole 6; Ramires 6, Essien 6, Lampard 6; Anelka 5 (Kalou 65, 6), Torres 5 (Drogba 71, 6), Malouda 5. Subs not used: Turnbull, Mikel, Ferreira, McEachran, Sala. Booked: Ivanovic. Man of the match: Mousa Dembele. Referee: Mike Dean 6. [LNB]When Ancelotti's first change came after 65 minutes, it was not Drogba going on but Salomon Kalou, and it was not Torres going off, but Anelka. [LNB]Drogba came on six minutes later and was somewhere near his best. The last time he was dropped to the bench, at Tottenham in December shortly after his bout of malaria, he came on at half-time, scored the equaliser and missed a last-minute penalty in a 1-1 draw. [LNB]The Ivorian produced one dribble down the left and a low cross, which was crying out for a tap-in from a poacher like, erm, Torres. Or Anelka. [LNB]But this was not Chelsea's night and it was left to Cech to prevent a second successive loss.[LNB] I'm having a stinker: Torres flops again but Cech dives to the rescue for ChelseaDrop Drogba! Ancelotti's shock plan to make ?50m Torres Chelsea's main manFulham captain Murphy to end career at Craven Cottage after new deal PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE: Fulham v Chelsea - all the action as it happenedAll the latest Chelsea news, features and opinionAll the latest Fulham news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Fernando Torres, Petr Cech, Didier Drogba, Carlo Ancelotti, Damien Duff, Frank Lampard, Mike Dean, Nicolas Anelka, Brede Hangeland, Andriy Shevchenko, Jose Mourinho Places: Liverpool, Spain
