Premier League - Ballack strikes for Chelsea

Eurosport - Sun, 27 Apr 08:39:00 2008

A controversial late Michael Ballack penalty moved Chelsea level on points with Manchester United following a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge.

The German nervelessly despatched an 86th-minute spot-kick after the assistant referee flagged for a handball by Michael Carrick.

So often a maligned figure for Chelsea, Ballack supplied both goals in a pulsating encounter, heading the home side in front late in the first half.

Wayne Rooney equalised after a blunder by Ricardo Carvalho but was later taken off injured.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Darren Fletcher both had potential equalisers cleared off the line in a frantic climax to the game.

Having trailed the champions by eight points, Chelsea now join them on 81 points with two matches to go. However, a goal difference advantage of 16 means that United will retain their title with wins over West Ham and Wigan.

However, with no wins out of three in a traumatic week, that is far from a foregone conclusion.
Life has been no less difficult for Chelsea, whose key midfielder Frank Lampard sat out the game following the death of his mother.

The players paid tribute after the opening goal, before Ballack stepped effortlessly into Lampard's penalty-taking shoes to drill home the winner.

Sir Alex Ferguson complained on Friday that United were victims of a fixture list that saw the match sandwiched between two games against Barcelona - all within six days.

With an eye on Tuesday's Champions League return leg at Old Trafford, he left RonaldoCarlos Tevez and Owen Hargreaves on the bench, while Patrice Evra and Paul Scholes were omitted from the squad altogether.

If United were unconvincing in the Camp Nou on Wednesday, they were much worse in the first half at Stamford Bridge as a powerful and determined Chelsea side overran them.

Salomon Kalou and Michael Essien started especially strongly, running with the ball at their feet against a remarkably timid visiting defence.

Within a minute Wes Brown played Edwin van der Sar into trouble with a poor back header, although Essien's eventual shot flew over.

Mikael Silvestre looked unsteady at left-back and things got worse when the increasingly injury-prone Nemanja Vidic was taken off, looking groggy, after sustaining a bloody mouth.

On 21 minutes Joe Cole surged untracked through the centre but, fatally, delayed his killer pass to Essien too long and appeared to have lost out.

However, Brown's clearance hit a team-mate and fell to Cole, whose snapshot rattled back off the right angle of post and bar.

But it was only a matter of time until the goal came, and it arrived in first-half stoppage time.

The hitherto quiet Didier Drogba teased a right-foot cross to the edge of the six yard box, where Ballack arrived to power his header past the helpless Van der Sar.

United were much brighter after the break, stringing passes together and creating crossing opportunities for Nani, most of which were spurned.

But few could imagine the equaliser would come from such a reliable player as Carvalho.

Chelsea took a free-kick just inside their own half and, under no pressure, Carvalho appeared to panic and tread on the ball.

Rooney seized possession and sprinted goalwards, one-on-one with John Terry in his wake. His lack of decisiveness in such situations has brought criticism from England manager Fabio Capello, but he steeled himself and drilled a low shot in off the left-hand post for his first goal against Chelsea.

United looked comfortable as Avram Grant threw Nicolas Anelka and Andriy Shevchenko into the fray.

Everything changed when Carrick handled an Essien cross and the linesman raised his flag. Ballack had earlier argued with Drogba over a free-kick, but there was no doubt over the penalty taker.

The midfielder powered his shot into the left corner, but the game was not over yet.
Ronaldo hit a left-foot shot that Ashley Cole scuffed clear, before Fletcher had what looked a certain leveller cleared by the unlikely figure of Shevchenko.

- Chelsea groundstaff and Manchester United players were involved in a bizarre fracas on the pitch after the match between the two teams.

None of the United players who played in the match were involved but Patrice Evra, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Gerard Pique and John O'Shea were all warming down when an argument began with the groundstaff tending the pitch.

Stewards quickly moved in to separate those involved but after the situation quietened down the row flared up again, although no punches were thrown.