Match Report: Aston Villa 0 - 3 Chelsea

Chelsea kept themselves on course for a League and FA Cup double with a semi-final victory against Aston Villa at Wembley.

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba pounced in the 67th minute to put Chelsea in front and late goals from Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard ensured they remain in the hunt to become only the seventh English team to win both competitions in the same season.
It was Drogba's 32nd goal of the season but until he struck with typically clinical efficiency, the FA Cup holders had laboured against a side they hammered 7-1 in the league at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.

Carlo Ancelotti's side looked lethargic and out of sorts in a largely forgettable opening half.

The state of the Wembley pitch was the biggest factor as the semi-final got underway, with players from both sides failing to keep their feet.

Villa, still smarting from that heavy drubbing, settled much quicker than Chelsea.

But Chelsea had their isolated moments. Joe Cole, attempting to persuade watching England boss Fabio Capello that he is worth a place in his squad for the World Cup finals, sent an angled drive just wide from 20 yards in the 11th minute.

But Villa had more intensity about their game and, although the players continued to be hampered by the greasy surface, they possessed more menace.

James Milner almost put them in front in the 14th minute when his 25-yard drive flashed inches wide of Petr Cech's right-hand post.

But the biggest talking point of the opening half, even eclipsing the state of the pitch, was a Villa penalty appeal that was firmly rejected by Howard Webb.

Gabriel Agbonlahor looked to have pulled the shirt of John Obi Mikel before the Villa striker went down under his challenge.

Referee Webb dismissed their appeals, much to the chagrin of coach Martin O'Neill in the Villa technical area.

Villa's high-tempo game was causing Chelsea all kinds of problems and the league leaders needed a last-gasp header from captain John Terry to prevent John Carew from finishing off a fine cross by Stewart Downing.

But in the 34th minute, Villa were thankful for a superb block by Stephen Warnock as Florent Malouda's cross provided Drogba with an opening.

Chelsea countered through the lively Cole who forced Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel into a fine save at his near post when Warnock's poor header fell to the Chelsea winger.

Villa striker John Carew, who had been marshalled superbly by Terry for much of the game, was just wide from a corner by Downing in the 46th minute.

But Villa's game fell away, just as it had done in the league game a fortnight ago, and Chelsea, buoyed by a half-time pep-talk from Ancelotti, set about their opponents for the first time in the game.

Deco sent a half-volley wide of the target in the 50th minute and moments later Cole just failed to get on the end of a Drogba cross at the near post.

Cole made way for Salomon Kalou in the 64th minute and two minutes later the substitute played a part in Chelsea's opener.

Kalou found the rampaging Drogba with a clever through-ball but he was foiled by a challenge from Richard Dunne.

But Chelsea made Villa pay from Malouda's corner. Dunne could only head the ball straight to Terry and his mis-hit shot fell to the unmarked Drogba, who steered it home from six yards.

It was his fifth goal in competitive matches at Wembley and broke Villa's resistance completely.

O'Neill's side, faced with lifting themselves in the final 20 minutes, huffed and puffed without troubling Cech in the Chelsea goal.

It was Chelsea who finished the stronger and they booked a place in their third FA Cup final in four years through Malouda in the 89th minute.

Frank Lampard fed substitute Michael Ballack on the right wing and the German crossed superbly for Malouda to sweep the ball home at the far post.

Lampard scored a third from close range in added time but by then it was all academic, with Chelsea's double dream still very much alive.

Youth Report: Portsmouth 0 - 2 Chelsea

Chelsea's youth team completed a 2-0 win today as they dominated Portsmouth away from home in our third from final League game of the season.

The Under 18 side, who had already beaten Pompey 1-0 in the FA Youth Cup and 3-2 in the League this season, scored at both ends of the pitch. Philipp Prosenik and Anton Rodgers found the net, a goal in each half as we took ourselves into the final two League games with a win.

Between the posts was Sam Walker, fresh from a 1-0 reserve win against Birmingham midweek, as was captain Conor Clifford.

Joining Clifford in a midfield diamond was George Saville, Rodgers and Prosenik, who sat at the tip of the midfield four. Up front were Marko Mitrovic and Milan Lalkovic.

The game started in Chelsea's favour, as we threatened from the off. Clifford produced the best of the opening chances as he found himself one-on-one with the Porstmouth keeper three times before we scored.

It was the third one between Clifford and the Pompey shot stopper which resulted in the corner that fed our first goal. Anton Rodgers sent an inch-perfect ball in for Prosenik to head home at the far post. It was 1-0 with less than 30 minutes played.

We continued to control the first half, dominating possession and constantly testing the Portsmouth defence. But it wasn't until deep in the second half we found the net once more.

After a period of sustained Chelsea pressure, it arrived from a freekick. Mitrovic was fouled 20 yards out from goal and Rodgers stepped up to take the set piece.

The resultant shot was a fantastic goal. After dipping beautifully over the wall, the ball curled into the top right, leaving the Portsmouth keeper rooted to the spot as he watched the shot hit the net.

There were further opportunities for Chelsea to score, but with a game against Leicester next weekend, as well as the FA Youth Cup Final coming up, the side were comfortable with a 2-0 win.

'The boys did brilliantly today,' said youth team manager Dermot Drummy.

'They worked hard and controlled the game throughout, it was a really promising performance and one we can be proud of,' he added.

Salomon Kalou: I Have Still Got The Scars From Having To Play Football With Bare Feet

Salomon Kalou kicks off his slippers to reveal the scars on his feet, all of the stud marks from a time when he played barefoot against opponents in boots.

The Chelsea forward, 24, can’t remember who was responsible. It was a long time ago. But it might have been Kolo Toure, now of Manchester City, or Yaya Toure, the younger brother now at Barcelona.

It could have even been Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue or Sevilla’s Didier Zokora, because before they took their talent to Europe they all lived and played together at an academy in their native Ivory Coast.

A hugely successful production line funded by the ASEC Mimosas club, the Academie Jean Marc Guillou was a tough school. ‘You had to earn the right to wear boots,’ says Kalou. ‘I arrived there when I was 12. Left my home and my family. They were now four hours away. And the first thing you are told is no boots. You play barefoot.

‘I was there for five years and it took me two years to get my boots. The coach, Jean Marc Guillou (a former French international who played in the 1978 World Cup), said if you can feel the ball without the boots you will feel it better when you have them on. Not until you got to a certain level were you allowed to wear boots. And even then you first had to pass a test.’

The test, says Kalou, was something they called ‘the degree’.

‘It was a technical test, divided into a number of different tasks. In one of them you had to dribble the ball on your head for the whole length of the pitch in less than 45 seconds. If you passed four sections but failed the fifth, you failed the whole thing and had to wait for another opportunity.

‘Those who passed got their boots. A new pair of adidas Copa Mundials. Beautiful. But those who failed had to keep playing barefoot, even though you then had to train with the players wearing boots. I did not pass first time and I did worry that I would have to play barefoot for ever.

'Especially when the players in boot would sometimes stamp on you to let you know they were there!’

Not that Kalou is bitter. He remembers the experience with fondness. Not least the friendships formed. Only this week he spoke to both Yaya Toure and Eboue about that extraordinary game at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night.

‘Every top player from Ivory Coast, with the exception of Didier (Drogba), who was brought up in Paris, went through the academy,’ he says. ‘They believed in a process, in a way of developing our skills, and everything was geared towards becoming a professional footballer.
‘I did not see much of my family once I was there. We would maybe get one day off a week and a four-hour journey was too much if I had to get there and back in a day. So we all spent a lot of time together; became great friends.’

Kalou is bright. Fluent in French, English and Dutch, he is the product of another strict disciplinarian — his father Antoine, headmaster at their local elementary school.

‘I have eight sisters and two brothers and we were all educated by my father,’ he says. ‘At home he was the sweetest father, but at school he was tough. Directeur Kalou!

‘There were 17 of us in a three- bedroom house in Oume, the town where we lived. My parents, me and my brothers and sisters. And four cousins who came to live with us because in Africa, if you have a little bit, other family members want to share with you.

'We would sleep on mats on the floor but I don’t complain. It was good. It makes me the person I am. I understand what it means to respect other people and share with people.’

Antoine Kalou taught his children well. While one brother, 32-year-old Bonaventure, went into professional football, he plays for Heerenveen having captained the Ivory Coast side in the last World Cup, his other brother studied economics in Detroit and now works in the banking sector in Toronto.

He has sisters who live in Paris and one sister, Adelaide, who lives near him and visits every day to cook his meals and take care of him.

Their father did, however, have a passion for football.

‘He was a good footballer in his day as well,’ says Kalou. ‘A striker like me. But he went for teaching, because at that time there was no money in football. Today parents push their kids as hard to become footballers as they do to study.’

Football, as Sven Goran Eriksson will discover now that he has taken charge of the national team for this summer’s World Cup, is a serious business in Ivory Coast.

‘It has become a religion,’ says Kalou. ‘When we lost the quarter-final to Algeria in the Africa Cup of Nations, the coach was sacked and the president of the federation had to face questions on TV from the fans. Can you imagine that here?’

Kalou is excited by the prospect of working with Eriksson in preparation for the World Cup’s group of death. ‘With Brazil and Portugal it will not be easy,’ he says.

‘But we have a top coach in Mr Eriksson and when Didier and I spoke with him we were very impressed. John Terry and Frank Lampard have also told us good things about him.’

Had the Dutch government not rejected his application for citizenship, Kalou would have represented Holland in the last World Cup.

He moved from the academy to join his brother at Feyenoord in Holland at 17 and by the time he was 21, playing alongside Dirk Kuyt in attack, he had impressed enough to convince Marco van Basten to apply for special dispensation.

‘I had been in Holland for four years but you needed to be there for five years to become a Dutch citizen,’ says Kalou. ‘It was a very exciting time. Van Basten was voted the best player in the world three times and he wanted me to be a member of his World Cup squad.

‘My brother would have been disappointed because Holland and Ivory Coast were drawn in the same group, but at that stage I had never represented Ivory Coast and being part of the Dutch squad would have been a big deal. Now, however, I am proud to play for Ivory Coast.’

Jose Mourinho convinced him to give up his Dutch dream. ‘I was told I would have to wait another year for citizenship and I was prepared to do that until I met Mourinho,’ he says. ‘Chelsea were interested and I went to see Mourinho in a London hotel.

‘But from the moment I met Mourinho I wanted to play for him. He knew things about my game even I hadn’t been aware of. He started to tell me how to improve my game. Do this, don’t do that. “Have you been following me?” I said. “Of course I have,” he replied.

‘I thought I can get better under this guy. He is an amazing character, and someone who is true to his word. He helped make me the player I am. He made me strong. I am getting better with each season and I am proud of that.’

Kalou has good things to say about most of the managers he has served. Carlo Ancelotti has impressed him with how he responded to that Champions League defeat to Inter Milan.

‘The way he stayed calm impressed me most,’ says Kalou. ‘He kept telling us we could still win the Premier League. That we could go to Manchester United and win. The Portsmouth game was the turning point. After we won that, the confidence returned and now we hope to win the Premier League and the FA Cup.’

Anelka - Goals Not Important

Nicolas Anelka claims he is happy to continue not scoring so long as Chelsea reach the FA Cup final this weekend.

The 31-year-old striker has revealed he will be doing his upmost to break his barren spell in front of goal at Wembley after going 10 weeks since he last rippled the net.

But the French international insists he will not mind if his scoring drought continues if someone else can fire Chelsea to success in Saturday's semi-final against Aston Villa.

"The most important thing is Chelsea, not me. So if Chelsea win I'm happy," Anelka, who won the double with Arsenal in 1998 and has targeted a similar outcome for the Blues, told The Independent.

"If I have the chance to score its even better, but as long as we are winning and we win the league and the cup, I am happy."

Chelsea's quest for Premier League glory could hinge on their away games against top-four challengers Tottenham and Liverpool in the last stretch of the season.

Some have suggested that Carlo Ancelotti's side, who are two points clear at the summit, can afford to draw in one of their trips to White Hart Lane or Anfield but Anelka insists the Pensioners are not considering dropping points from their final five matches of the campaign.

"We want to win all of them," said the former Liverpool, Manchester City and Bolton forward.

"It is psychological, because if you want to win and you are going away playing against Tottenham or Liverpool, and you think that maybe if we come back with a draw it is OK, no it is not.

"It is not good enough, because we don't know about United or Arsenal. We have to go there and think about winning."

Chelsea's bid for silverware has been hindered by numerous off-field problems this season with scandals of the private lives of John Terry and Ashley Cole being splashed in the front pages of the news.

Anelka admits the self-inflicted blows, which also saw the Blues successfully appeal a transfer ban, affected the dressing room at Stamford Bridge but insists the team spirit has only been strengthened by the controversy.

"You don't want to think about it but at the same time you do," he says. "I know and the players know it was a difficult moment for John and Ashley, but we tried to stay focused, stay together. I think it has made us stronger as a team."

Starlet Set To Quit Chelsea For Reading

Chelsea’s Ryan Bertrand is ready to snub the offer of a new contract at Stamford Bridge to make his loan at Reading permanent.

Former England under-21 left back Bertrand is negotiating an extension to his current deal but wants guarantees of first-team football next season.

Bertrand, who has made 37 appearances for Reading, said: "I am talking to Chelsea at the moment but I really need to play first team football.

"If they cannot offer me that I guess I will have to look elsewhere.

"I have played more than 100 league games now and for the under-21s so you would think at most clubs you would get a chance in the first team.

"That is obviously not the case at Chelsea. There are a few important decisions that need to be made.’

Ashley Cole Should Be '100%' Fit For World Cup, Says Carlo Ancelotti

Ashley Cole should return from injury for Chelsea in two weeks’ time and be “100%” fit for World Cup duty, according to his manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Cole has been out of action since breaking his ankle two months ago, but the England left-back has made a swift recovery and returned to training two weeks ago. Ancelotti confirmed on Thursday that he is pencilled in for a return soon, giving him a chance to prove his fitness to England coach Fabio Capello ahead of the World Cup.

“He has been doing very well and needs some more training, but we hope he will be ready for the game against Stoke on April 25,” said Ancelotti.

“Ashley is a very important player for England. After that he will have one month so he will be ready 100 per cent fit for the World Cup.”

Ancelotti also suggested midfielder Michael Essien could return from his long-standing knee injury a week later, when he believes Chelsea’s push for the Premier League title will be harder because of Manchester United’s Champions League exit this week.

Ancelotti admitted Chelsea’s own Champions League exit last month gave them an inadvertent advantage over their rivals, with fewer high-intensity games, and he said: “I would have liked Manchester United to have beaten Bayern Munich to stay in the Champions League. It would have been easier for us at the end of the season.”

But he dismissed talk of a decline in English football because there are no Premier League clubs in the semi-finals of the Champions League. “It is just a blip that can happen sometimes," he said.

“The Premier League is still the best in Europe, not just for the play, but for the atmosphere and the quality of the teams. It is very competitive here, not just the top four but also Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham.”

My Week At Work: Branislav Ivanovic

He hasn't played in three weeks due to a knee injury but Branislav Ivanovic is likely to be in the squad at Wembley Saturday afternoon.

The Serb is particularly grateful to the medical department, but don't ask him about the news or what goes well with fish.

The best goal I have seen this week…
Robben's volley against Manchester United, it was a very good goal but also very important.

The best save I have seen this week…
Hugo Lloris for Lyon against Bordeaux, I think it was in the second half near the end of their game, from a header.

The best training…
I haven't trained much with the team, I don't know! On Friday at Stamford Bridge it was Michael Ballack.

The worst training…
Me! No I don't know, like I said I haven't trained much. Oh no, it was the wall when some players practised free-kicks - the manager, Ray Wilkins, Paul Clement and Glen Driscoll.

Funniest moment of the week…
Salomon Kalou in his clothes on Thursday, he looked very bad, very bad. [Ed - Check out the programme for our home game with Bolton on Tuesday night to see just how bad...]

My favourite sound this week…
Always Serbian music. I could play you some but I think you don't want to hear it!

Best food this week…
Some salmon from the chefs at Cobham. What was it with? I don't know, ask the chef!

Best entertainment...
Playing at home with my son who is two, he always makes me smile.

The news story that stands out…
Where do these questions come from?! This week I will say it is football, that no English clubs are in the semi-final of the Champions League. Nobody thought this would happen.

And a special mention goes to…
The Chelsea medical department because of the work they did with me in the last three weeks.

John Terry's Dad On Cocaine Dealing Charge

Ted Terry, 55, is due to appear in court next month accused of supplying a class A drug.

An Essex police spokeswoman said: "A 55-year-old man from Chafford Hundred has been charged with supply of cocaine, a class A drug, and has been bailed to appear before Basildon magistrates on May 13."

Terry was arrested following an alleged incident at a wine bar in Chafford Hundred, Essex in November.

The charge came as John Terry's Chelsea prepared to face Aston Villa in the first of this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.

Earlier this year Terry was accused of having an affair with lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-partner of England team-mate Wayne Bridge.

It resulted in the 29-year-old defender being stripped of the England captaincy.

Ms Perroncel has just given her first interview since the story broke.

In it she said she was hurt by coverage of the story in the tabloid press, which made her look like a "prostitute".

English Exiting Europe Is A Blessing, Says John Terry

John Terry believes this week's Champions League eliminations of Manchester United and Arsenal have a silver lining for England's World Cup hopes.

Arsenal were soundly beaten by Barcelona and Manchester United exited on away goals to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, while Terry's Chelsea were beaten at the last-16 stage by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.

But, with the European showpiece scheduled for Madrid on May 22, Terry says the extra preparation time gained by Premier League clubs' failure to progress will aid Fabio Capello's England squad.

"We can take a very strong positive out of the fact no English clubs have made it through this season," Terry told the Sun.

"It's disappointing there won't be an English club in the final because it's the biggest game you can play in for your club. But England meet up in Austria on May 17 and the Champions League final is five days later.

"Had one of our teams got to the final the squad would have had some very notable absentees for what is a big phase of our preparation.

"Now we will all be together and can get some good solid grounding in as a whole. I'm sure from that perspective Mr. Capello is happy."

England will prepare for the World Cup 2010 at altitude in Austria before meeting Mexico at Wembley on May 24.

Their final World Cup warm-up is against Japan in Graz, Austria, on May 30 before their Group C campaign begins against the United States in Rustenburg on June 12.

One player Terry hopes to avoid in the World Cup finals is Barca's in-form Argentina forward Lionel Messi.

Messi has been in imperious form this season and scored all four goals as the Catalan club routed Arsenal at the Nou Camp on Tuesday.

"I think the best way to deal with Messi is to let our left-back Ashley Cole try to tackle him and I just stay in the middle somewhere," joked Terry, who was stripped of the England captaincy in February.

"He is so good - incredible and unplayable at times. If he comes inside at any time you need two men to double up on him.

"You can't get near him in a one-on-one. I was really impressed with him this week and he is a special talent, especially when he is performing at the Nou Camp."