Match Report: Chelsea 7 - 1 Aston Villa

A first-half brace from Frank Lampard gave Chelsea the advantage against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea went ahead in the 15th minute when Frank Lampard converted a low cross from Florent Malouda at the far post. But in-form John Carew grabbed his ninth goal in eight games when he finished off a curling cross from Ashley Young.

Lampard restored Chelsea's lead from the penalty spot in the 44th minute after Yury Zhirkov had been brought down by James Collins.

Chelsea started brightly enough with Deco finding Anelka inside the Villa penalty area in the third minute.

But the France international shot into the arms of Brad Friedel at his near post.

Drogba, who scored twice in the 5-0 midweek demolition of Portsmouth, was rested according to assistant coach Ray Wilkins.

Frank Lampard tried to surprise Friedel in the 14th minute with a low drive from fully 30 yards but the American goalkeeper was untroubled by the bounce.

But Chelsea went ahead a minute later when Florent Malouda's low cross was turned home at the far post by Lampard.

It was the England midfielder's 18th goal of the season in all competitions.

Villa's Stephen Warnock required treatment to a head injury after a collision with Joe Cole in the 23rd minute.

Controversy erupted in the 27th minute when John Obi Mikel appeared to elbow with James Milner.

But referee Peter Walton booked Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov for protesting about Mikel's elbow and took no action against the Chelsea midfielder.

However, Villa were jubilant in the 29th minute when they equalised through John Carew.

He converted a superb curling cross from Ashley Young at the far post to score his ninth goal in eight games.

Moments later Yury Zhirkov, who was clearly at fault for allowing Carew to ghost into space at the far post for Villa's goal, was booked for a foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Deco followed his Chelsea team-mate in the book moments later for a foul on Milner in the 40th minute.

But Chelsea restored their lead in the 44th minute through a Lampard penalty.

Referee Walton adjudged Zhirkov had been fouled by Villa defender James Collins as he burst into the penalty area and Lampard converted the spot-kick with ease.

Chelsea went 3-1 up in the 57th minute when Malouda finished off a sweeping move by the hosts.

Deco's clever ball inside the full-back found Zhirkov in space and his cross was met perfectly by Malouda for the France international to score his 12th of the season.

Chelsea gave away a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the penalty area seconds later when Paulo Ferreira fouled Agbonlahor.

But Milner's effort was straight into the defensive wall to the dismay of the Villa fans.

Chelsea made Villa pay in the 62nd minute when Lampard grabbed his hat-trick, and his 20th of the season, with his second penalty of the game.

Zhirkov was again fouled, this time by Richard Dunne, and Lampard beat Friedel to become the joint third-highest scorer in the club's history.

His treble put Lampard level on 150 goals with club legends Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood.

It was a game of landmarks for the Blues with John Terry becoming the club's all-time record captain. His 325th appearance eclipsed former great Ron Harris.

In the 68th minute, rampant Chelsea made it 5-1 when Ferreira and Lampard combined to set-up Malouda for his second of the game.

In the 82nd minute Kalou sent a curling shot around Friedel's right-hand post but he found the target a minute later when he drilled the ball past Friedel from 18 yards.

Lampard then made it 7-1 with his fourth of the game in added time as Villa's 10-match unbeaten run came to a crashing halt.

Rocha Accuses Malouda

Portsmouth defender Ricardo Rocha has accused Florent Malouda of deliberately hitting him in the face and feels the Chelsea man should have been sent off for the offence.

Rocha was stretchered off during Wednesday's 5-0 defeat to Chelsea after appearing to be caught in the face by an elbow from Malouda.

Former Tottenham man Rocha was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured cheekbone, but it has been discovered he only suffered bad bruising in the incident.

"I think it was a bad one from Malouda," Rocha was quoted as saying in The Sun. "He just hit me and did not try to get the ball.

"The pain was so great I thought something was badly damaged. That is why I went to the hospital.

"These kind of actions are dangerous and it should have been a red card. But he just got a yellow."

Meanwhile, Malouda has protested his innocence and says Rocha had no problem with him after speaking to him at the end of the game.

"I went in their dressing room after the game and Rocha had just come back from the hospital," said Malouda.

"He has not broken anything and it is not as bad as it looked. He said no problem and it is OK.

"When I jumped I was only looking at the ball. I didn't mean to hurt him."

Carlo - Blues Deserve Title

Carlo Ancelotti believes his Chelsea players have no doubts about their ability to land the Premier League having topped the table for much of the campaign.

The Blues surrendered top spot to Manchester United after a recent run of two defeats and a draw in five league games and have just seven matches to reclaim pole position.

However, the Blues went some way to overcoming the lean spell, which coincided with their UEFA Champions League exit to Inter Milan, with a 5-0 thumping of Portsmouth on Wednesday.

With just one point separating Chelsea and United, Ancelotti insists the spell was merely a dip in confidence and is now vowing to lead the Blues to their first title since 2006.

"Maybe in the players' minds there were doubts, having come so close for the last few years," Ancelotti told the Daily Express.

"But we deserve to win this title. The players believe now, because we have been at the top for eight months.

"We want to get back there and stay there, to win this title. This is the time for Chelsea to win.

"We are through our bad spell now. I told the players we had to go back to basics, have confidence in our football, and do the simple things right."

The former Milan and Juventus boss has won just one league title in management, the 2004 Scudetto with the Rossoneri, but insists he is well equipped to cope with pressure at the top while predicting a typically tight finish.

"In this job there is always pressure," he added. "Every game. If you don't win, you have problems. It's the same here as in Milan.

"I lost the championship once in Italy with Juventus after being nine points clear with eight games to play in 2000.

"You think you're sure to win the title in a situation like that. The table says you'll win it - but you don't."

Game Over For Football’s Sugar Daddies

English football’s super-rich owners, including Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour, face drastic curbs on their influence under Uefa proposals.

The extent of the crackdown on “financial doping”, championed by Michel Platini, the Uefa president, is laid bare in a 60-page document seen by The Times. In it, Uefa sets out its detailed plans to force clubs towards break-even, allowing them to spend only what they earn.

Owners would be allowed to inject cash to cover losses for a transitional period, but the amounts will be restricted and closely monitored.

Over the initial three-year period of regulation up to and including 2015, owners would be allowed to cover losses totalling $45 million (about £40 million). The “acceptable deviation” from break-even would then fall to £30 million over three years and then less, with the amount to be determined.

In other words, an owner such as Sheikh Mansour would eventually be permitted to put less than £10 million a year into Manchester City on average, unless the money is spent on infrastructure or the youth team, which have no limits on investment. That compares with City’s most recent loss of £89.69 million.

While Platini has talked for months about introducing “financial fair play”, the working draft has brought those proposals into sharp focus.

The European Club Association continues to haggle with Uefa for concessions. It is arguing for a five-year accounting period, rather than three, and for owners to be allowed to invest extra funds through equity rather than debt.

Platini is determined to bring in regulations that will mark a watershed in the English game.

While the proposals will be phased in over several years, many clubs will have to make significant changes — drastic in the cases of Chelsea and City — if they are not to fall foul of the new regulations and face a possible ban from European competition.

Ashley Cole To Return For Chelsea In April - Report

Chelsea have received a huge boost with the news that Ashley Cole should be available for selection in less than a month's time, The Mirror reports.

The left-back was expected to miss the remainder of the season after sustaining an ankle injury in the Blues' defeat to Everton in February and has spent time recovering at a retreat in France.

However, the former Arsenal star is progressing far better than expected, and it is claimed that Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti expects him to be ready to face Stoke City on April 25.

This would be a huge bonus for the Londoners in their pursuit of Premier League glory, but more than that it would put Cole back in the frame for the upcoming World Cup.

Speculation has been rife as to who could fill the void on the left side of England's defence in South Africa, with Leighton Baines and Stephen Warnock the frontrunners following Wayne Bridge's international retirement.

However, if Cole can prove his fitness and form before the end of the season, Three Lions boss Fabio Capello will only have to bother about who to take as his reserve left-back.

Chelsea Must Banish Thoughts Of Being Nearly Men, Says Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti says his Chelsea players must eradicate their self-doubts to have any chance of winning the title, having grown used to being nearly men in the last three seasons.

Chelsea began Saturday afternoon's game against Aston Villa a point behind Manchester United at the top of the table having finished as runners-up in successive years and third last term since last winning the championship in 2006. Ancelotti admitted yesterday that those near misses, and their on-going frustrations regarding securing the European Cup, could be unnerving with critical games to come.

"Maybe, in their minds, there could be this thought that they keep coming so close in the Premier League and the Champions League for the last few years," said Ancelotti. "But it's better to tell ourselves that we can win this title. Chelsea haven't won the title for a long time, so we need to win it this year. We have been at the top of the table for a long time and we want to get back there and stay there now. This is the time for Chelsea to win it.

"The players know they have been at the top for eight months. For this reason they should believe they can finish as winners. Up to now I think we have deserved to win it. After the game against Portsmouth on Wednesday [a match won 5-0 to hoist the team from their stodgy recent form] there was a different atmosphere in the squad: they were more excited, more confident. We need to show against Villa that our bad period is over so that we can look forward with optimism to the United game next weekend."

Chelsea have been stripped of defensive options for Saturday’s visit of Villa – the only team still to lose in the league this calendar year – with Ricardo Carvalho having joined Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic and José Bosingwa on the sidelines. Ancelotti suggested Ivanovic could yet return from a knee injury ahead of schedule for the game at Old Trafford next Saturday and the club are hopeful that Cole will be fit enough to feature in the game against Stoke City on 25 April.

The Italian was in jovial mood despite the pressure he is under to claim silverware, joking that he had quit smoking "though only 30 minutes ago" and suggesting that, should Chelsea secure the title in May, he might consider giving up for good. "I said that once before, at Milan, when I promised myself I would give up if we won the Champions League in 2007, but I never said when [I'd quit]," he added. "I could do the same now but, again, I won't say when I'll stop. Though it's very difficult to smoke in England, no?

"I once lost a championship after being nine points clear with eight games to play when everyone thought we'd win the title. The table said we'd win it. That was with Juventus in 2000 and we ended up needing to win our last game against Perugia, but the rain was unbelievable. We waited an hour-and-a-half in between the first and second halves, and Lazio ended up winning it.

"But it's nothing to do with destiny. If you are better, you'll win the title. I am an optimist and our destiny is still in our own hands. I think that [Sir Alex] Ferguson and [Arsène] Wenger will be thinking the same thing. We'll see against Villa whether we have come out of that difficult period we've been in.

"But we've gone back to basics – playing football and defending well – and our focus is there. We have to have confidence in our play and do the basics right. Then we'll see."

Cech Has Eyes On The Title

Chelsea ace Petr Cech believes six Premier League wins out of seven could be enough to secure this season's league title.

The rare for the title is the tightest it has been in a number of years with Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal all separated by just two points.

Chelsea sent out a message to their two rivals on Wednesday by putting lowly Portsmouth to the sword with a 5-0 victory at Fratton Park.

There is all to play for in the final straight and Cech admits his team-mates will have to do it the hard way with a trip to Man Utd on the horizon.

"There are seven matches yet to be played in the league and I think that six victories and one draw or, of course, seven wins, would secure the championship title," Cech told his personal website.

"Out of the title contenders we are having the toughest run in. Tottenham, Liverpool and Aston Villa are all sides chasing fourth spot and on top of that we play Manchester United at Old Trafford.

"Anyway, if we want to clinch the title, then we have to cope with it."

Cech made his first-team return in Chelsea's midweek romp and the Czech Republic ace felt no ill effects from his calf injury.

"It is fine, I did not even feel it on the soft and tough pitch," he concluded.

Chelsea Defender John Terry Believes Arsenal Can Win The Premier League

Chelsea defender John Terry has acknowledged that Arsenal cannot be discounted from the Premier League title race.

The Gunners have lost all four games they have played against the Blues and fellow title rivals Manchester United this season, but now find themselves only two points off the top spot and one point behind the Blues.

Terry admits that the resolve of Arsene Wenger's side has surprised him.

“When we beat them in November we were 11 points clear and I wrote them off," he told the London Evening Standard.

"But fair play to them, they have had a few players out with injury and have a fairly young side but they're difficult to play against when the lower teams go to the Emirates.

"It is such a big pitch and the way they play, it's difficult for the lower teams to deal with them. Against the big sides they can lose those games because there is not a big difference between the big teams at all.”

Chelsea currently sit a point behind Manchester United in the table, and after being five points clear at one point this season the England international admits that if they don't win the league Carlo Ancelotti's side will have only themselves to blame.

“We have done a bit better in the big games this season but have dropped points in games we should have won," he said.

“It's going to go right to the wire and we're looking to keep going right to the death. It is important as a group of players to focus on one game at a time.”

Match Preview: Chelsea vs. Aston Villa

Chelsea's title credentials will be tested this weekend when Aston Villa come to town.

The Blues, who were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Inter Milan earlier this month, saw their Premier League quest stutter last weekend as Blackburn claimed a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.

Carlo Ancelotti's side returned to winning ways with a 5-0 thumping of Portsmouth on Wednesday and the Italian boss will be hoping his side have turned a corner after suffering a blip in recent times.

Villa meanwhile, squandered the chance to close in on the much coveted fourth-place as Wolves and Sunderland travelled to Villa Park and walked away with a share of the spoils.

Martin O'Neill's side remain unbeaten in the league in 2010, but seven draws in their last 10 games has seriously hurt the Villains' hopes of grabbing the last Champions League qualification spot.

Villa, though, boast a good top-flight record against Chelsea and have already beaten the Pensioners when they met earlier in the season.

But O'Neill's small squad are beginning to feel the effects of a gruelling season which has already seen them reach the Carling Cup final and with an FA Cup semi-final against Saturday's opponents looming, the Northern Irishman may decide not to risk some of his fatigued performers at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

Gabriel Agbonlahor has been absent since the win over Wigan with a groin problem and remains doubtful for the Chelsea encounter, while fellow striker Emile Heskey could also miss the London trip with an Achilles problem picked up in Wednesday's 1-1 stalemate against the Black Cats.

That leaves O'Neill with youngster Nathan Delfouneso as the only recognised forward to partner in-form John Carew up front so the Villa boss may return to the 4-5-1 formation which he deployed at the start of his tenure.

Steve Sidwell could be the benefactor of that team-selection to face his former club, although the former Chelsea man may start regardless as James Milner is Villa's second player to suffer with an Achilles problem.

The midfielder has been in scintillating form this season and looks a shoe-in to make England's World Cup squad fitness permitting, but the former Newcastle man was forced off the field midweek and could be given a well-earned rest

Richard Dunne, who looked out-of-sorts in midweek against Sunderland, is another player suffering with a sore Achilles but the defender managed to play 90 minutes last time out and should line-up in the division's joint meanest rearguard.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are enduring their own injury crisis with Ricardo Carvalho the latest player to face a spell on the sidelines.

The Portuguese defender damaged his ankle in the Fratton Park mauling midweek and will find out whether he will miss the rest of the season from Friday's scans.

Carvalho joins the likes of Ashley Cole (ankle), Branislav Ivanovic, Jose Bosingwa (both knee), Michael Ballack (Achilles), and Henrique Hilario (groin) on the treatment table

That means Ancelotti's only has two recognised centre-halves in the shape of John Terry and Alex, while Paulo Ferreira will continue at right-back and Petr Cech will retain his place in goal after making his comeback from injury last time out.

Michael Essien's return remains unknown after the midfielder admitted to set-backs on his rehabilitation on his injured knee.

Essien has been missing since January and it is unclear whether the Ghana international will be able to recover in time for Chelsea's run-in.


Possible starting XIs:
Chelsea: Cech, Zhirkov, Alex, Terry, Ferreira, Malouda, Lampard, Mikel, J Cole, Anelka, Drogba.

Villa: Friedel, Warnock, Collins, Dunne, Cuellar, Downing, Petrov, Milner, Sidwell, A Young, Carew.

Drogba Shrugs Off Knee Injury

Didier Drogba expects to be fit for Chelsea's game against Aston Villa on Saturday after suffering a knee injury in the 5-0 win over Portsmouth.

The Ivory Coast striker took his goals tally for the season to 30 with a brace against Pompey on Wednesday evening, but hurt his knee in the process.

However, the 32-year-old is determined not to let the injury impact heavily on what he believes is his best season on a personal front.

Drogba, though, admits his impressive goals tally this term will count for nothing if Chelsea fail to lift a piece of silverware.

"Knowing that I am not taking the penalties and missed a few games, it is maybe the best season I've ever had," said Drogba.

"But it would be a poor season if I finished top scorer and Chelsea didn't win anything. Winning individual prizes is just a bonus.

"The knee is painful, but I think it's going to be alright."

Chelsea's title hopes have been revitalised following their victory over Portsmouth and Drogba now wants his team-mates to focus on the visit of Villa, rather than look ahead to next weekend's trip to leaders Manchester United.

"Aston Villa is a big, big game for us," he acknowledged. "We have to forget about this one (Portsmouth) and start to think about Aston Villa. We have to recover quickly and make sure we're going to be ready for the game.

"It's just important for us to try to keep this distance (one-point gap) so we go to Old Trafford with a lot of confidence and expect something good from the squad there.

"We have to concentrate on this game on Saturday and then we'll think about Manchester United. Both games are related. Let's do everything to win the first one and then we will have time to think about United.

"People have given us a lot of criticism recently, but I think they're fair because we haven't played at our level in the last few weeks.

"It's difficult when the team is playing so many matches for all of us to be on top of our game, on top of our fitness and right now we have a lot of injured players."

Carvalho Blow Rocks Blues

Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho is facing at least four weeks on the sidelines and could require surgery on damaged ankle ligaments.

The Portugal international suffered the injury in the first half of Wednesday night's 5-0 victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Centre-back Carvalho limped off the field in the 37th minute following a challenge with Aaron Mokoena, with burly Brazilian Alex taking his place alongside John Terry.

The former Porto player will now miss several key fixtures for the Blues as they chase Premier League and FA Cup glory.

Carlo Ancelotti will be without the talented defender for the crucial Premier League meetings with Aston Villa and Manchester United on the next two Saturdays.

Carvalho will also be absent when the Stamford Bridge side travel to Wembley on 10th April to tackle Villa in the FA Cup semi-final.

And he could be forced to go under the knife in a bid to cure the problem, with the club waiting to discover if an operation is needed, which could put his World Cup hopes in jeopardy.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Chelsea can confirm that Ricardo Carvalho suffered ankle ligament damage in last night's game against Portsmouth.

"The club will be able to determine over the next 24 hours whether the injury requires corrective surgery, however we can confirm at this point that he'll be out for at least four weeks."

Chelsea moved back to within one point of leaders United with Wednesday's thumping victory, while London rivals Arsenal are just one point further back in third.

Injury Uncertainty For Essien

Michael Essien has revealed that he remains uncertain when he can return from the knee injury that is also threatening to rule him out of the World Cup.

The Ghana international has not played for Chelsea since December and only made a couple of appearances for his country at the Africa Cup of Nations in January before being ruled out indefinitely.

Essien revealed that he had suffered a couple of setbacks in recent weeks and he is now unsure when he will be able to return to action.

"I was hoping to be available for the home game against Inter, but the healing has taken a bit longer because my knee kept swelling," Essien told his official blog.

"In two weeks I ended up having four lots of surgery to try and get the fluid away from the area. Finally it seems to be okay and I am making progress. I know I just have to be patient and give it time to settle down and heal."

Essien has watched Chelsea crash out of the Champions League and lose ground in the Premier League title race, but he remains calm about his future.

He added: "On a positive note I am feeling mentally strong and I try to stay philosophical about injuries.

"There are worse injuries than mine and there are people suffering with far more serious problems than this."

Didier Drogba Ready To Trade Top Scorer Award With Wayne Rooney For Premier League Title

Didier Drogba insists he will not have a problem with Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney taking the Premier League's top scorer honours if it means that Chelsea can pip their rivals to winning the league title.

Rooney currently leads the goal scoring charts in the top-flight, with 26 goals to his name. The Ivorian is hot on the heels of the England international, with 24 strikes.

"You know what, if I don't finish top scorer I won't mind... as long as we win the league," Drogba said, according to The Sun.

"I won the Golden Boot in 2007 and it would give me great pleasure to do it again but what is really important for me is the Premier League title.

"Football is a team sport," he insisted.

"It is nice to have individual honours but much better when you share the medals with your friends and team-mates.

"This season has been a long and difficult one.

"It would be a poor season if I finished top scorer but Chelsea didn't win a trophy."

Chelsea take on Manchester United in a potential title decider at Old Trafford on April 3.

Chelsea's Abramovich To Consider Russian FA Role

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would consider serving on the Russian FA's advisory board if he received a formal invitation, his spokesman said on Friday.

"We are aware of the proposal and when the formal invitation is extended Mr Abramovich will surely consider it," John Mann told Reuters.

New Russian FA (RFU) chief Sergei Fursenko recently met Abramovich in London to discuss, among other things, a more active role within the RFU.

Chelsea's billionaire owner has played a significant role in Russian soccer, mainly sponsoring a number of RFU's projects.

Until last year, the National Academy Fund, sponsored by Abramovich, was paying the 7-million euro ($9.33 million) salary of former Russia coach Guus Hiddink under an agreement with then RFU president Vitaly Mutko.

Several other Russian tycoons, including Spartak Moscow owner Leonid Fedun and Alisher Usmanov, who has a 26 percent stake in English Premier League club Arsenal, have also been mentioned as possible RFU's advisory board members.

Ancelotti - Euro Exit Could Help

Carlo Ancelotti believes Chelsea's UEFA Champions League exit could prove to be a blessing in disguise with regards the title race.

While Premier League leaders Manchester United and third placed Arsenal retain an interest in Europe's premier club competition, Chelsea failed to reach the last eight as they crashed out to Inter Milan.

The Italian is refusing to be downbeat though as he instead points to the fact the physical and mental energy expended by Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson's teams could work in his own side's favour.

United will face Bayern Munich on Tuesday and then welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford four days later, and Ancelotti is hoping to make the most of any United fatigue - either mental or physical.

"I agree with Arsene," said Ancelotti. "Mentally, it wasn't good for us to go out of the Champions League.

"But after the victory against Portsmouth, this moment is finished. We have to look at every game. We play Aston Villa on Saturday and then have a week to prepare for Manchester United.

"That could be an advantage for us. Before, we had midweek games. We are disappointed to be out of the Champions League, but it could be an advantage.

"The quarter-finals will take out a lot of energy, not only physically but mentally. We can take advantage of that if we prepare well our own games, and if we play with good tempo, a good high tempo.

"The pressure is the same for all the teams now. We are arriving towards the end of the season and every game is very important. The pressure is normal at this stage of the season."

Before they face United, Chelsea must overcome an Aston Villa side chasing a place in the top four, who beat the Blues 2-1 earlier in the season.

Ancelotti is determined not to let his players get too carried away with the battle looming at Old Trafford.

"United will be an important game, but it's for three points," said Ancelotti. "We have to think about the Villa game, not the United game.

"The last time we played Villa we lost, so we want to do different tomorrow. For me, now, the most important game is tomorrow. Not United.

"It's a very important test. We're playing a strong team, a team that won their last game against us.

"They have very good organisation, they are a very dynamic team with a lot of quick players and are good on the counter-attack and set-pieces.

"It's a very important game and a very important test for us. I want to know that our bad moment is finished.

"We had a very good reaction in the game at Portsmouth. A good indication for the game was that we played 90 minutes well, with the ball on the floor and determination in our game.

"We were a bit lucky, too, with the first goal, but that's a good thing. That means things are changing.

"At this moment in the season to have one more point or one less point is not so important. Every team - Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea - need to win their games. If you are in good condition, mental and physical, you can win.

"So it's not more important to have one more or one less point. It's important to stay fit and have optimism and confidence to win the game."

Agent: No Italian Job For Joe Cole

Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has yet to receive an approach from any Serie A club, according to the player's agent David Giesse.

The 28-year-old England international is out of contract at Stamford Bridge this summer and revealed on Tuesday that the club have yet to offer him a new deal.

Speculation has ensued, with Serie A giants AC Milan believed to be keen on his services along with Premier League trio Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.

The former West Ham ace could leave the Blues for free in the summer, but Giesse revealed he is yet to be contacted by an Italian club regarding a move.

"It is true that the negotiations with Chelsea are at a standstill," Giesse admitted to Calciomercato.it.

"Now we are ready to listen to other offers from other teams, but for now no one has called me from Milan or Italy in general."

Trnmere Bring In Chelsea Defender

Tranmere manager Les Parry has continued his loan foray by securing the signature of Chelsea defender Ben Gordon on a one-month loan deal.

The 19-year old left-back is a third year professional at Chelsea having joined them from Leeds.

He has represented England at under-17 level and has been a regular in Chelsea's reserve side this season.

Parry said: "Ben is a talented defender who has a lot of potential.

"With Zoumana Bakayogo and Aaron Cresswell suspended for the game at Brighton on Saturday his signing means we don't have to play someone out of position.

"I'd like to thank Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti for allowing Ben to come on loan to us."

Van Aanholt Latest To Debut In Season Of Breakthrough

The floodgates aren’t open quite yet, but the water is beginning to flow. At Portsmouth last night, Patrick van Aanholt became the fifth recent Chelsea academy product to feature in the first team this season (John Terry aside), and the fourth to debut. Whilst there’s clearly still a lot more to come, Carlo Ancelotti has shown signs of being more like Mourinho than Grant, Scolari and Hiddink, and is willing to give youth its chance.

Van Aanholt, of course, follows Jeffrey Bruma, Fabio Borini and Gael Kakuta as debutants this season, along with Sam Hutchinson, who played for the first time in two and a half injury-riddled years. Now sure, it was away to a turgid Portsmouth team bereft of confidence and already a handful of goals down, but the Dutchman was given a healthy twenty minutes and looked at home alongside more illustrious names. He was only a poor Didier Drogba finish away from notching an assist, providing a sumptuous ball across the face of goal which the Ivorian hitman really should have converted.

With five club-produced players getting playing time already plus Rhys Taylor, Jan Sebek and Daniel Philliskirk serving as substitutes, out of circumstance or otherwise, it’s as positive a time for young players making the step up since the middle of Mourinho’s reign. Back then, Scott Sinclair, Ben Sahar, Nuno Morais, Lenny Pidgeley, Jimmy Smith, Robert Huth, Anthony Grant, Michael Woods and Lee Sawyer all had involvement in one way or another, yet the Portuguese manager was often labelled as someone not willing to give opportunity where it was warranted.

Naturally, one can only work with the tools available, and by looking back through that list, you would struggle to argue against them not having been good enough to make that next step. Whilst the same applies to the current bunch of burgeoning talents, they are the products of a refocused academy, of greater investment and developed under state of the art facilities. They are Arnesen products; a much maligned association, but one which may yet completely alter the perception of somebody who most pundits and indeed Chelsea fans have a dim view of.

So what next? Obviously, the first step is for every one of them to keep up their hard work and earn further opportunities. Injuries in defence have given Van Aanholt and especially Bruma the opportunity to be involved with the first team squad on a regular basis, as it did for Borini earlier in the season when the striking options were weakened. Youth Cup stars Josh McEachran and Jacopo Sala both have first team squad numbers and Gokhan Tore has been involved with the senior team as well, giving an indication into the next group to make their way through.

Don’t read this as an over-the-top reaction to a decent cameo debut against poor opposition – it’s not. However, it’s gratifying to see the first results of seeds laid four or five years ago, however early in bloom they may be. These boys may be the future of the club, they may not be – but they’re contributing at an early age, and those signs are very promising.

Chelsea Duo Florent Malouda & Daniel Sturridge Escape Punishment After Portsmouth Incidents

The Football Association have confirmed that Florent Malouda and Daniel Sturridge will not face any disciplinary action after incidents that left two Portsmouth players with serious facial injuries during Chelsea's 5-0 win on Wednesday.

Pompey centre-back Ricardo Rocha was stretchered off with a broken cheekbone after a collison with Malouda, while forward Tommy Smith had his nose broken after being caught by Sturridge's elbow.

The FA has confirmed that both incidents were not considered "off-the-ball" after a review, and as such the referee's decision at the time is taken as final. Malouda was booked by referee Lee Mason, but Sturridge avoided any punishment.

The outcome is similar to that in Steven Gerrard's recent case, where the Liverpool captain was not punished for an elbow that caught another Portsmouth player, Michael Brown, during their game on March 15.

Portsmouth Win Ends Chelsea’s 'Difficult Moment' – Carlo Ancelotti

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti insisted the Blues’ 5-0 crushing of Portsmouth at Fratton Park has signalled the end of their recent poor run.

Goals by Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard sent the Londoners back into second place in the Premier League, just a point behind leaders Manchester United and their manager was pleased with his side’s performance.

“I am satisfied, we played well, we played a good match,” he told Sky Sports after the game.

“They [Chelsea] fought for 90 minutes, it was important because I think this victory finished our difficult moment and so we have to look forward to the next game with more confidence and more optimism.

“Everything is important, the most important thing tonight was the behaviour of my players, they played very well, they concentrated, this is the most important thing

“I think we never lost our way we had a difficult moment, we lost some games, but our reaction was important and now we must maintain this and if possible to improve.”

The match was not without controversy with Ricardo Rocha stretchered off after a tangle with Florent Malouda and Daniel Sturridge also clashing with Tommy Smith who also had to be substituted.

However, Ancelotti refused to be drawn on the two challenges and insisted the Frenchman's challenge was accidental, explaining: “[Florent] Malouda was in front of me I think that he has gone with his head and [Ricardo] Rocha was unlucky. For the other one, [Daniel] Sturridge I didn’t see it was too far from me.”

Next up for the Blues is a visit from Aston Villa before they head to Manchester United and Ancelotti admitted that every game was now crucial.

“Every game is important for us, we have maybe eight or nine games until the end of the season,” he added.

“We are involved in the Premier League and the FA Cup and we want to do our best and now it is important to beat Aston Villa.

“They are a strong team, we aneed to win three points on Saturday and also to maintain this level of play.”