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Rafa
Benitez is still looking for his first win - and goal - as Chelsea manager after
the Blues were held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham.
The home side struggled to create many meaningful openings against a resolute
Fulham side on a frustrating night for Chelsea and misfiring striker Fernando
Torres in particular.
The Spaniard looked like he may have won it for the home side on 80 minutes but
his volley across the area was cleared off the line by Aaron Hughes.
It was another of those evenings for Torres who showed plenty of endeavour but
the ball just would not break favourably for the former Liverpool man - or any
of his team-mates for that matter.
The home crowd greeted Benitez's arrival on the bench with polite indifference
rather than the volley of abuse which marked his first game in charge on Sunday.
They still remembered sacked manager Roberto di Matteo though, chanting his name
on 16 minutes - his shirt number from his playing days at The Bridge.
And as Chelsea brought on Juan Mata - surprisingly left on the bench until the
63rd minute - and battled for the breakthrough to take all three points, the
Stamford Bridge crowd again chanted the name of their former boss as the
frustration grew.
Fulham hardly peppered Petr Cech's goal either, managing one first half Hugo
Rodallega effort on target which was easily gathered by the stand-in Chelsea
skipper.
The visitors did create one golden opportunity for John Arne Riise on 56 minutes
but he failed to take full advantage of a fabulous ball from Giorgos Karagounis.
The ball sat up nicely for the former Liverpool star's favoured left foot but he
failed to find the contact needed to beat Cech.
Chelsea pressed late on as Mata pepped up their attack but Fulham defended
resolutely to claim a point certain to delight manager Martin Jol.
As on Sunday against Manchester City, the Blues could have easily lost against a
Fulham side who had the better of the chances and a striker in Dimitar Berbatov
who completely outshone opposite number Torres.
And by the end of a disappointing evening for Chelsea fans, they were back to
chanting, "You're not welcome here", at Benitez and even, "We want our Chelsea
back", in front of the watching owner Roman Abramovich, who looked as bored as
anyone by the Stamford Bridge stalemate.
Click Here For Official Teamsheet
Teams
Chelsea Cech,
Azpilicueta, Luiz, Ivanovic, Cole, Ramires, Romeu, Bertrand (Mata 63),
Oscar, Hazard (Marin 82), Torres
Subs Not Used
Turnbull, Ferreira, Cahill, Mikel, Moses
Booked
Ivanovic, Luiz, Romeu
Goals
Fulham
Schwarzer, Riether, Senderos, Hughes, Riise, Diarra (Baird 64),
Sidwell, Karagounis (Frei 73), Duff, Berbatov, Rodallega
(Petric 83)
Subs Not Used Etheridge, Kelly, Kasami, Dejagah
Booked
Goals
Attendance
41,707
Referee A. Taylor