- Date:2009-05-02
- Kick-off:15:00
- Venue:Stamford Bridge
- Attendance:41801
- Referee:Wiley, A
Live Commentary
90mins
Full Time: CHELSEA 3-1 FULHAM. Chelsea claim all three points with a comfortable win over Fulham.
90mins
Danny Murphy goes into the referee's notebook.
90mins
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
88mins
John Obi Mikel's drilled affort from distance flies past Mark Schwarzer's post.
86mins
John Obi Mikel is unable to take Florent Malouda's flick in his stride.
86mins
John Obi Mikel is unable to take Florent Malouda's flick in his stride.
84mins
Didier Drogba is replaced by Franco di Santo for Chelsea.
84mins
Nicolas Anelka's downward header from Florent Malouda's cross is wide.
82mins
John Terry is just unable to get onto the end of the corner and score on his 400th Chelsea appearance.
81mins
Florent Malouda's cross is deflected out for a corner.
78mins
Zoltan Gera slides the ball through to Diomansy Kamara but the ball catches him on the back of the heel.
76mins
Bobby Zamora is replaced by Olivier Dacourt for Fulham.
74mins
Jose da Silva Bosingwa's left-foot drive is dragged just wide of the target.
73mins
John Pantsil's cross is over the head of Brede Hangeland.
71mins
Michael Ballack's header loops onto the roof of the net.
70mins
Didier Drogba slides in at the far post from Nicolas Anelka's cross but can't find the back of the goal.
68mins
Bobby Zamora latches onto Branislav Ivanovic's poor back pass but can't beat Petr Cech.
66mins
Diomansy Kamara's 25-yard drive is just wide of Petr Cech's goal.
65mins
Paul Konchesky's cross is brought down on his chest by John Terry before the defender cleared the ball away.
63mins
John Pantsil makes a heavy challenge in the area on Florent Malouda but the referee says no penalty.
60mins
Chelsea are in control at the moment.
58mins
Mark Schwarzer makes finger-tip save to keep out Frank Lampard's free kick.
56mins
Florent Malouda is checked on the edge of the area by Brede Hangeland. Chelsea are awarded a free kick.
54mins
CHELSEA 3-1 FULHAM. Anelka and Drogba combine well once more before DROGBA coolly slots the ball past Mark Schwarzer.
51mins
John Pantsil makes a perfectly timed challenge to take the ball off Frank Lampard.
49mins
Clint Dempsey shoots from distance but his strike is well wide of the post.
47mins
Paul Konchesky pushes up the left side but is dispossessed by Nicolas Anelka.
46mins
... while Branislav Ivanovic replaces Alex.
46mins
Michael Ballack is a half-time sub for Michael Essien....
46mins
Alan Wiley gets the second half underway.
45mins
Half Time: CHELSEA 2-1 FULHAM. Chelsea lead at the break in an entertaining game courtesy of Anelka and Malouda strikes. Nevland was on target for Fulham.
45mins
Two minutes of added time have been indicated by the fourth official.
43mins
Frank Lampard's power drive flicks the sidenetting as Chelsea go close.
42mins
Florent Malouda's turn and shot is blocked by Aaron Hughes before going out for a corner.
40mins
Paul Konchesky drags his right-foot shot from the Fulham corner side of the target.
39mins
Zoltan Gera's drifitng shot comes of John Terry for a Fulham corner.
37mins
Danny Murphy plays the ball downfield but he can't find the shirt of a team-mate.
35mins
Erik Nevland goes off after picking up a knock to be replaced by Diomansy Kamara.
33mins
Didier Drogba feels he should should have been awarded a free kick following Dickson Etuhu's challenge.
31mins
Frank Lampard's driven free kick clears the bar and flies into the stand.
30mins
Jose da Silva Bosingwa makes a great challenge to take the ball away from Erik Nevland.
28mins
Didier Drogba's cross is cleared away on the half volley by Brede Hangeland.
26mins
Florent Malouda's cross into the area is headed away by Clint Dempsey.
24mins
Danny Murphy's 25-yard strike is deflected out for a Fulham corner.
23mins
Danny Murphy lifts the ball into the penalty area but it bounces harmlessly through to Petr Cech.
21mins
Didier Drogba strays offside as he looks to get behind the Cottagers defence.
18mins
Fulham continue to push forward. There definitely look to be more goals in this game.
16mins
Bobby Zamora's downward header drifts wide of the upright.
14mins
Erik Nevland's volley from the edge of the area flies over the crossbar.
12mins
It has been a great start to this game with both sides attacking.
10mins
CHELSEA 2-1 FULHAM. FLORENT MALOUDA fires home from ten yards after being sent clear by Drogba.
9mins
Florent Malouda bursts into the penalty area but John Pantsil stops his progress.
7mins
Frank Lampard dinks the ball goalwards but his shot is wide of the target.
4mins
CHELSEA 1-1 FULHAM. ERIK NEVLAND equalises with a low shot from an acute angle. Petr Cech got a hand to the ball but was unable to keep it out.
2mins
CHELSEA 1-0 FULHAM. ANELKA gives Chelsea the lead, sliding the ball home after running onto Didier Drogba's pass round the corner.
1mins
Referee Alan Wiley gets this West London derby underway.
0mins
Erik Nevland replaces the injured Andy Johnson upfront in the one change for Fulham.
0mins
The other Chelsea change sees Nicolas Anelka come in for Michael Ballack.
0mins
Ashley Cole comes in for Branislav Ivanovic in one of two changes Chelsea make to the side that played Barcelona.
Match Preview
Having given up hope of clinching this season's Premier League title, Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink is likely to name a weakened team when Fulham make the short trip to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are on course to reach their second successive Champions League Final following their first leg stalemate in the Camp Nou on Tuesday and will have their sights trained on the return match against Barcelona on Wednesday.
Players who didn't start in midweek like Deco, Salomon Kalou and Nicolas Anelka could all start as Chelsea seem content to settle for a third-placed finish.
Hiddink admitted after Chelsea's goalless draw with Everton a fortnight ago that his team were incapable of catching Manchester United but they then managed to beat West Ham United in a game in which Frank Lampard once again came in for abuse from the Upton Park faithful.
Ricardo Carvalho (hamstring), Paulo Ferreira and Joe Cole (both cruciate knee ligaments) remain sidelined but, if Chelsea do field a weakened side it could play into Fulham's hands.
The Cottagers, just 12 months after being on the verge of suffering relegation to the Championship, now find themselves challenging for a top-seven finish and a place in next season's Europa League.
Last weekend's victory against Stoke City, coupled with West Ham's defeat to Chelsea, lifted Roy Hodgson's team to seventh in the table with only four games of the season remaining.
However, more than two-thirds of Fulham's 47 points this season have come at Craven Cottage and they have won only twice on their travels, scoring just nine goals in 17 matches in the process.
Hodgson has no injury or suspension concerns as he looks to extend his side's three-match unbeaten run.
Earlier in the campaign, Clint Dempsey grabbed a brace, including a last-gasp equaliser, as Fulham drew 2-2 with Chelsea.
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Match Report
Didier Drogba inspired Chelsea to a comfortable 3-1 defeat of near-neighbours Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
Guus Hiddink resisted the temptation to rest Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Barcelona.
Instead Drogba stepped up to the plate and assisted in two of his side's goals and scored the third.
Such is the confidence of the Blues that the home side pierced Fulham's defence after only 50 seconds when midfielder John Obi Mikel passed the ball wide to Florent Malouda.
The French winger slotted the ball to Nicolas Anelka, received it back before finding Drogba on the edge of the visitors penalty area.
The Ivory Coast striker tapped the ball to the onrushing Anelka who slotted home coolly from eight yards out past Mark Schwarzer.
But Chelsea were undone three minutes later when the home side's back four went walkabout and a long ball by Danny Murphy saw Erik Nevland beat the offside trap.
From just inside the Chelsea area he rammed home a low right-footer which Petr Cech could only parry into his far corner of his goal.
But sensationally Chelsea regained the lead three minutes later when Anelka passed to Drogba on the byline. He cut the ball back to an unmarked Malouda who side-footed the ball with his left foot into the top right-hand corner of Fulham's net, giving Schwarzer no chance.
Fulham responded well and Nevland and Bobby Zamora went close to levelling again.
Drobga had the ball in the net again on 20 minutes but was adjudged to have been offside - something TV replays proved not to be the case.
A vicious 20-yard right-footer by Michael Essien on 45 minutes, which went inches wide of the Fulham goal, ended the first-half action.
Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink took off Alex and Essien and replaced them with Branislav Ivanovic and Michael Ballack at half-time.
Within eight minutes of the restart Chelsea had a two-goal margin. Breaking up a Fulham attack, Chelsea, through Lampard, broke away quickly, with the England midfielder sliding the ball wide on the right to Anelka.
The Frenchman raced down the wing before passing the ball forward to Drogba who cut across the Fulham back four. He reached the ball ahead of Schwarzer and took one touch before tucking a smart right-footer under the goalkeeper and into the net.
Lampard almost extended the lead with a crisp free-kick on 49 minutes but Schwarzer did well to tip the 25-yard effort over the bar.
Drogba, Ballack and Jose Bosingwa all went close for Chelsea but the game was dominated by the home side who were more than happy to see out the clock, collect three points and judge the match the ideal warm-up for what might prove to be the match of the season on Wednesday night.
Chelsea Team
Fulham Team
Chelsea | Fulham |
Corners
| 5 | 4 |
Fouls
| 6 | 7 |
Goal attempts
| 13 | 8 |
Shots off target
| 8 | 5 |
Offsides
| 1 | 0 |
90mins
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.