Hull 1 - 1 Chelsea : Drogba scores on return
-
Hull 1 Chelsea 1: Didier Drogba scores on return as Premier League leaders are held by City
Equaliser: Drogba scores a free-kick on his return from the Africa Cup of Nations
Hull 1 - 1 Chelsea
As setbacks go, John Terry has certainly suffered more serious ones in the last week. But this would have hurt the Chelsea captain and not just because his team squandered an opportunity to extend their lead to four points at the summit of the Barclays Premier League.
It would have hurt him because the abuse he received was so relentless and so, so personal. The chants. The boos. He might still be the England captain but not in the minds of the majority of those in the KC Stadium last night.
To them he appears to have become both public enemy No 1 as well as a laughing stock. ‘Ashley, Ashley, watch your wife,’ they sang when Cheryl Cole’s other half ran on from the bench, and while the line was delivered with a fair bit of humour it would have struck a nerve with the man at the centre of this extraordinary scandal.
Put a sock in it!Terry responds to the Hull fans following Drogba's equaliser
Judging by his reaction to Didier Drogba’s equaliser, it is clearly getting to him. While his colleagues went to congratulate the goal-scorer, Terry stared down the most vocal section of the Hull crowd as he sprinted the full length of the pitch.
It was the only real insight into a troubled mind. The only evidence that the storm that engulfs him off the pitch is starting to affect his performances on it.
Terry has not always been in the right place at the right time in recent weeks, as even he might admit, but he did not do much wrong here against a Hull side playing the finest football of their season.
He gave a composed, assured display at the centre of the Chelsea defence, and had Michael Ballack been half as effective defensively, the league leaders might well have recorded a seventh straight win.
As it was, Ballack allowed Steven Mouyokolo to score the goal that sent Phil Brown’s struggling but spirited side into the lead and left it to Drogba to steal a point back.
The return of Drogba was an interesting one, and a decision Carlo Ancelotti can easily justify with the goal his finest striker produced shortly before the interval. It was Drogba’s eighth goal in nine games for Chelsea, albeit with a month-long break between the last two.
But that might have been the problem, because while Drogba has been away at the Africa Cup of Nations his colleagues have actually been doing rather well. That straight run of wins after what had been a difficult December. Not to mention 19 goals in the five games that Drogba had missed.
In particular it has been Nicolas Anelka who has thrived, Anelka who has so enjoyed playing at the pinnacle of the Chelsea attack. But last night Drogba returned to his usual position, Anelka was pushed out right and it all looked a bit, well, unfamiliar.
They lacked their usual fluency; struggled to attack with their usual finesse. Whether the Terry controversy has caused further disruption is hard to say. Ancelotti insisted not last night, declaring that ‘nothing will disturb’ their ‘concentration’.
But you do have to wonder if the chaos that currently surrounds the Chelsea team has had a subliminal effect. If now that the can of worms has been opened there is tension behind the scenes.
On me ead! Steven Mouyokolo scores to give Hull the lead at the KC Stadium
Only time will tell, and right now, as they sit two points clear of Manchester United, they still look like a team more than capable of winning this season’s championship.
And if they need to draw inspiration from their leader, Terry is still somehow setting an example in a purely sporting sense. The winner at Burnley last weekend was followed by another solid performance.
Clearly there is ice flowing through his veins as well as vast quantities of testosterone. He was showered with taunts every time he touched the ball last night. ‘Same old Terry, always cheating.’ ‘Terry, Terry, where’s your wife?’ All fairly predictable stuff but something that must have been difficult to ignore.
That did not stop Chelsea making a decent start though, Frank Lampard unleashing a shot that Boaz Myhill could only parry into the path of Anelka. Fortunately for Hull, Anelka wasted the chance with a mis-hit effort that spun away to safety.
Hull started well too, though, not least in the form of Stephen Hunt. The Ireland winger will forever be remembered at Chelsea for the collision that left Petr Cech nursing a career-threatening head injury but last night he caused Branislav Ivanovic more problems than Ancelotti perhaps would have liked. Tom Cairney, a 19-year-old Scot making only his second start for Hull, was also terrific.
Terry was nevertheless doing what was required. A crunching interception here. A headed clearance there. He might have remained silent since those revelations first emerged but it did not stop him barking orders at his fellow players.
-
arsenal will hold chelsea to a draw and man u will win this coming weekend and top the table.
-
chelsea is running out of steam. like liverpool last season, they have many chances to pull away from the chasing pack, but each time, they were pegged back by their inability to win matches when they ought to be winning. Terry's infidelity diesnt help the team either.
-
Teams will drop points here and there this season... United could also drop points as well with 2 very difficult away matches coming up to Villa and Everton very soon...
-
Throughly kelong game as Ref prevented Chelsea fr scoring again & again.
The coming wkend Chelsea beat Arsenal ,then will still top of league.
MU lose or draw this wkend to stay @ second spot.
-
Referee definately kelong lah!
Hull players were fouling ppl like no 2molo & only one yellow fr Mcshane's two-foot tackle.
Chelsea players touched the tigers gently & got 4 straight yellows.
Several penalties also not call.
-
hull play very physical game. hunt also actually is quite thuggish always looking for a fight.
but chelsea played poorly again. some how i think drogba returning turns chelsea into the mourinho type. slow and steady.
without drogba, they played pretty well. fast and flowing football. however this game it did not help that malouda, lampard, anelka played poorly today; esp malouda.
basically the whole chelsea midfield was way below par. ballack supposed to mark the hull scorer, never mark at all
-
Originally posted by palachan:
Throughly kelong game as Ref prevented Chelsea fr scoring again & again.
The coming wkend Chelsea beat Arsenal ,then will still top of league.
MU lose or draw this wkend to stay @ second spot.
LOOL reply 
-
maybe, just maybe, Ref's wife was also **** by Terry....
no offense..
-
Lol seem like Drogba free kick is improving much more better
-
Dun want to blame it on Refs now.
Chelsea should be used to it by now. Refs is always making their games harder for ManU sake.
But if The Blues play harder, they can overcome it. The game against hull, they were slow & alway in that "leave to Drogba" mood.
In the end, it's only Drogba who's putting in the effort!
-
no offense .. but sometimes i also think and feel ref purpsoly make it hard n kelong abit...so the teams point wont be so far away..to make it more interesting..
haha.
-
perhaps drogba is upsetting the balance of the team? scoring like hell without him and now can only manage one goal.
-
draw for them next match then shiok lo..
-
draw?? given the ref's, it should be a thrashing by Gunners, at least a 1-10, and MU to win by 20-0.. all penalties..
-
arsenal sure win chelsea..