Petr Cech saved a stoppage-time
penalty to spare Chelsea a west
London derby defeat at Fulham
tonight as Carlo Ancelotti's
decision to drop Didier Drogba
failed to pay off.
Cech guessed correctly to parry
Clint Dempsey's 93rd-minute spot-
kick after another game to
forget for new £50million Blues
striker Fernando Torres.
Torres missed four chances either
side of half-time as champions
Chelsea failed to climb back into
the Barclays Premier League top
four.
Manager Ancelotti axed Drogba
after he and Torres failed to
ignite in the previous weekend's
surprise defeat to Liverpool.
They were almost caught out
again in the opening six minutes
tonight by a low Damien Duff
cross but David Luiz - making his
full debut - read the danger to
beat Andy Johnson to the ball.
John Terry was thwarted by
good pressure attempting to
head Branislav Ivanovic's cross
goalward, while there was also
more than one blocked effort
from the visitors.
Torres, though, was once more
struggling to make an impact,
with some of his many mistakes
greeted by chants of 'What a
waste of money' from the Fulham
fans.
The in-form Duff surprised Cech in
the 24th minute with a 30-yard
effort the goalkeeper could only
punch clear - the first save of
any note.
Frank Lampard should have at
least forced a second four
minutes later when Chelsea's best
move of the first half saw him
sweep Ivanovic's low cross over
the bar.
The latter was providing the only
real width for the champions,
whose next cross almost caught
out a back-pedalling Mark
Schwarzer moments after Florent
Malouda's rising 25-yard attempt
sailed just over.
Terry produced a vital glancing
header at the other end before
Ivanovic became the first player
booked for tugging Moussa
Dembele's shirt on the edge of -
and arguably inside - the box.
Steve Sidwell soon followed for an
ugly thigh-high lunge on Michael
Essien.
With seconds of the half
remaining, Torres saw two great
chances to open his Chelsea
account go begging, the first with
the weakest of finishes after a
strong run.
The second was gilt-edged, with
the Spaniard's attempt to gather
Luiz's glorious long ball simply
horrible.
Ancelotti resisted the urge to
turn to Drogba during the
interval but Torres soon gave him
cause to rue that decision by
heading Ramires' pinpoint cross
off target.
Chelsea wasted another
opportunity when they took an
indirect free-kick too quickly
after Schwarzer picked up a
Danny Murphy backpass.
And Torres' misery deepened
when he curled high and wide
after being released by a fine
Lampard pass.
Supportive chants from the
visiting fans rained down on the
misfiring Spaniard, but to no avail.
Torres was completely outshone
by fellow new boy Luiz, with the
23-year-old by far the best
player on the pitch as Chelsea
began to dominate without
finding the breakthrough.
Ancelotti made a change with 25
minutes remaining, rubbing salt
into Drogba's wounds by sending
on Salomon Kalou for Nicolas
Anelka.
Malouda failed to capitalise on an
inch-perfect Ashley Cole ball as
Fulham held firm going into the
final 20 minutes.
Luiz should have capped his
performance with a goal when
the Brazilian rose completely
unmarked to nod Malouda's
corner over the top moments
before Drogba finally replaced
Torres.
Fulham then became even more
compact, bringing on Simon Davies
for Johnson as Chelsea began to
be restricted again to long-range
efforts.
But Essien should have given
them a 77th-minute lead when he
mistimed his diving header from
Lampard's dangerous cross and
Drogba showed what Chelsea had
been missing with a barnstorming
run down the left and a ball his
team-mates should have
anticipated.
Dempsey almost made Chelsea
pay when he pounced on a Terry
error only to see his shot beaten
away by Cech.
Fulham ran down the clock by
introducing Eidur Gudjohnsen and
Zoltan Gera for Murphy and
Dembele before an jaw-dropping
overhead-kick cross from Luiz
was headed over by Kalou.
The changes revitalised the hosts
and Davies glanced a cross from
Gera - who was booked in
stoppage time - over the top.
In the third and final minute of
added time, Luiz was adjudged to
have tripped Dempsey in the box.
The American blasted the
resulting penalty goalward but
Cech saved and Dempsey scissor-
kicked the rebound over the top.