Carlo rang the changes starting with Anelka and Drogba at the expense of Malouda and Cole. Ballack (fast picking up the new mantle of Captain Slow) replaced Deco but these changes only served to break up the fluent and flowing Chelsea of late. Build up play was laboured and the lack of pace combined with a resilient and tough tackling Bolton side made for a nervy game that was settled by a solitary goal from Anelka. Only Zhirkov, playing his best game for the Blues, and with stitches in a head wound following a bad clash in the fist half, offered any real pace or gile. Indeed, it was only once Cole and Malouda had been introduced late in the second half that we looked like the Chelsea of recent games.
Still, in the end its all about the points at the business end of the season and the result leaves us 4 points clear with 4 games to go
The nervous 'in game tweets' went like this
- Home to Bolton and a chance to open a 4pt gap. Nic & the Drog up top, Cole and Deco are rested so in come Kalou and Mr Slow (Ballack)
- Early chances go to the Blues but JT picks up a knock on 10mins & is struggling. Another 10mins gone and Zhirkov is felled with a head wound
- A Drogba freekick is parried by Jaaskelainen but bounces wide off Kalou on 25mins. With 3mins to go he turns provider for Nic to heads home
- More tempo needed in the 2nd half & perhaps an 'appearance' from the invisible Ballack - we get neither as Kalou squanders 2 good chances
- With 15mins gone there's a bit more zip. Zhirkov (our best player by a mile) has a shot well saved on 64mins. Malouda replaces Nic on 66mins
- 15mins to go & Bolton are still in this so Cole in on for Kalou. Lamps hits the post 2mins later. Coyle throws on 2 strikers for the last 10
- There's 4mins of nervy fergie time as Zhirkov finds Cole but he cant convert. The Blues see it out to go 4points clear with 4 games to go.
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