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Southend Snatch Chelsea Draw (Sky Sports)
Chelsea 1 Southend United 1
Southend
United have forced a replay after snatching a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea dominated the match from the outset and took the lead through
Salomon Kalou after he headed in Frank Lampard's corner on 31 minutes.
Chelsea continued to dictate play in the second half, until an inspired
Shrimpers triple substitution changed the game.
Southend defender Peter Clarke hit the bar on 82 minutes following teenage
full-back Johnny Herd's cross.
But Clarke would not be denied a second time as he headed Herd's throw-in in
front of 6000 away fans.
Blues keeper Steve Mildenhall pulled off a world-class save in the dying
moments to set up an unlikely replay a week on Wednesday.
It was just reward for the League One side who valiantly kept out Chelsea's
wave of attacks in a pulsating second half.
But Chelsea's need for a first-class finisher was further underlined after
an afternoon when they failed to kill off their lowly opponents.
Chelsea's first attempt in the fifth minute was typically lamentable with
Frank Lampard sending a 30-yard free-kick well wide of the target.
Drogba should then have put the Blues ahead in the 10th minute but he waited
too long to shoot and former Chelsea youngster Anthony Grant managed to get
in a superb tackle to deny the Ivorian.
Lampard then fed Joe Cole inside the penalty area but the England
international's shot fizzed across the face of the goal and beyond the far
post.
In the 14th minute, another Lampard effort from the edge of the penalty area
was deflected to safety but the Shrimpers were living dangerously.
But despite their possession, Chelsea were unable to find a chink in the
Southend rearguard.
United defender Clarke had to be alert to stop a low cross from Ashley Cole
reaching Drogba in the 20th minute and Kalou wasted a clear chance by
shooting over from 20 yards seconds later.
Chelsea continued to pile on the pressure and when Lampard found the
rampaging Ashley Cole in the 22nd minute, a goal seemed the only
eventuality.
However, the England left-back's right-foot shot from 12 yards was saved by
Steve Mildenhall and moments later Drogba placed a shot wide with just the
United goalkeeper to beat.
Opener
Chelsea continued to dominate and eventually opened the scoring in the 31st
minute when Kalou rose unmarked to head home a corner from Lampard.
Three minutes later Drogba could not find the power to beat Mildenhall with
a close range header after Ashley Cole had set him up with a cross to the
near post.
The goal had enabled Chelsea to with go about their work with calmness but
their attempts to increase the scoreline from set pieces were woeful in the
extreme.
Juliano Belletti decided it was his turn to try his luck from long-range in
the 38th minute but his effort was caught by a surprised onlooker in the
second tier of the 'Shed' stand.
Southend had enjoyed little success in attack but a cross from Jean-Francois
Christophe had to be turned over his own crossbar by Branislav Ivanovic in
the 39th minute.
It was a rare moment of panic in the Chelsea defence and moments later they
were back in attack.
But once again their finishing lacked the required quality and Belletti was
again guilty of sending his 20-yard effort high and wide.
Southend were unlucky two minutes before the interval when Junior Stanislas
made Paulo Ferreira look distinctly ordinary with a great run down the left
flank.
However, his low cross into the six-yard box was cleared by a relieved
Chelsea defence.
In the 52nd minute Drogba brought a fine save out of Mildenhall when he met
a cross from John Obi Mikel.
Chelsea continued to push for a second and Mildenhall was forced to punch
clear off the head of Ricardo Carvalho in the 63rd minute.
There was little respite for Steve Tilson's side but they continued to
defend valiantly inside their own penalty area.
Goal-line clearance
In the 66th minute Belletti saw his header cleared off the goal-line as the
Premier League side searched in vain for a second.
Southend were beginning to show some attacking desire as the game wore on
but they were restricted to the odd counter-attack.
The Premier League side pushed the ball around with confidence but their
cutting edge was well below par.
In the 82nd minute, Lampard endeavoured to put the game beyond Southend but
his 20-yard lob was straight at Mildenhall.
Crossbar
Chelsea then had a narrow escape a minute later when a cross from Johnny
Herd was met by Clarke under pressure from Cudicini.
The United defender got to the ball first but his header bounced off the top
of the crossbar to Chelsea's relief.
But worse was to follow when defender Clarke stunned Chelsea with a
90th-minute equaliser from close range.
Chelsea were denied a late winner by Mildenhall when he somehow kept out a
header from substitute Franco Di Santo.
Chelsea
Cudicini,
Ferreira, Carvalho, Ivanovic, A. Cole, Belletti, Mikel, J. Cole (Di Santo
84), Kalou (Sinclair 87), Lampard, Drogba
Subs Not Used
Hilario, Mineiro, Anelka, Mancienne, Sawyer
Booked
Mikel,
Carvalho
Goals Kalou 31
Southend
Mildenhall,
Sankofa, Clarke, Barrett, Herd, Grant, Christophe (Moussa 74), McCormack,
Stanislas, Barnard (Freedman 75), Revell (Laurent 75)
Subs Not Used Joyce,
Francis, Betsy, O’Keefe
Booked
McCormack, Grant
Goals Clarke 90
Attendance 41,090
Referee
S. Attwell