Post-match reaction

By Dean Gripton

Chelsea gained their expected passage through to the fifth round of the FA Cup - but were made to fight by David Platt's hard-working First Division side.

The East Midlanders had lost more away games than any side in England this season, and their lack of creativity meant that the good work that they managed defensively could not be matched at the business end of things.

Chairman Ken Bates' programme notes described last Saturday's performance in the 1-1 draw against Leicester as "the worst I have seen from a Chelsea team for many a year." Well, Gianluca Vialli will hide all recordings of the first hour of this game around Bates' offices in the morning. Bates is in America, so would have been spared a disjointed Chelsea display, despite Frank Leboeuf's 57th minute goal and a late clincher from Dennis Wise.

The French defender scored his fourth of the season with a glancing header from a Gianfranco Zola free-kick on the left-wing, as the little Italian made up for a rush of blood in the first half, when his untimely intervention to blast home a goalbound effort from Dan Petrescu saw the 'goal' wiped out for Zola's obvious offside.

Tore Andre Flo and Zola were the preferred starting strike force for Chelsea, with Chris Sutton again on the substitute's bench. And as early as the fourth minute Zola bent a free-kick around the wall only to see former Chelsea scapegoat David Beasant show safer hands that he did in his difficult spell here in the early nineties.

Alan Rogers had a good opportunity with an identically placed set-piece just two minutes later for Forest but he did not clear the blue wall of brave defenders. You had a feeling that this David Platt side would need to make more of their set-pieces in such good positions if they were to have any chance of progression and a shock result.

The first 25 minutes were quiet - the players still stunned by Bates' blast - before they hit the sort of football that they have struggling to put together in recent weeks - fluent, incisive and full of verve.

It was a drive from the youngest Blue, leftback Jon Harley, that awoke the game in the 27th minute. His 20-yarder was beautifully struck, but hit the crossbar as it was still rising.

Seconds later Petrescu was put clear by a fine headed pass by Gus Poyet, lobbed Beasant only to see Forest's French defender Matthieu Louis-Jean clear from the line with an excellent overhead bicycle kick clearance which needed perfect timing.

After the ball was reclaimed by Zola, Bernard Lambourde reached the byeline only to see the Italian's shot deflected wide by David Prutton.

Harley made Forest pay for some over-elaborate defending a moment later, and fired a low cross that bounced awkwardly for Dave Beasant. Petrescu was there to tidy up, and his shot was going in and would have counted but for Zola - in a clearly offside position - blasting the ball in from six inches. The Italian slumped to the floor in disbelief, knowing his intervention had only succeeded in seeing the goal chalked off.

Forest started the second half in positive fashion, and Stern John nipped in ahead of a dallying Frank Leboeuf to an Alan Rogers cross. The ball fell free for Canadian international Jim Brennan, but his shot from an acute angle was sliced wide, as Ed De Goey awaited some real work.

Zola's confidence is at a low in his Enlgish career. Surely an on-song Zola would have made Jan Olav Hjelde pay for his poor defensive header that saw Dennis Wise's cross cleared only to the penalty spot. Unmarked, the Blues striker, without a goal since mid-October, could only screw his effort wide of Beasant's right hand post.

Jody Morris came on for Didier Deschamps midway through the half, and immediatly upped the pace with a 20-yard effort that Beasant had to get down to hold. Gus Poyet got above Louis-Jean to get in a trademark header which Beasant was lucky to see straight at him for the save after 71 minutes, before a similar effort on the run by the Uruguayan a minute later saw only the advertising hoardings in danger.

Referee Elleray showed typical common sense in merely talking to Lambourde and Rogers after the two had tangled and clashed by the touchline as Chelsea began to dominate.

In a carbon copy of the goal, Zola speared another free-kick in from the same area for Leboeuf to head goalwards, but this time the header was downwards and Beasant could save at the second attempt.

Beasant was enjoying himself, and will have a few tales to tell when he returns to training here - part of the amicable relationship between the two managers.

And despite owing Vialli a dinner as part of their agreement, Platt could look to a save by De Goey with four minutes left when Louis-Jean dispossessed Morris in the penalty area and saw his curling shot saved at full stretch with nobody able to follow up for Forest.

Morris went forward a minute later as if determined to atone for that aberration. He shrugged off two challenges to keep the ball in on the byeline, before crossing for Wise to sew up the tie.

Chelsea: De Goey, Lambourde, Terry, Leboeuf, Harley, Petrescu (Percassi 90), Wise, Deschamps (Morris 68), Poyet, Flo, Zola.
Subs Not Used: Sutton, Ambrosetti, Cudicini.
Goals: Leboeuf 57, Wise 86.

Nottm Forest: Beasant, Louis-Jean, Scimeca, Hjelde, Brennan, Gray (Harewood 63), Prutton, Bart-Williams, Rogers, Freedman, John.
Subs Not Used: Crossley, Bonalair, Dawson, Williams.
Booked: Louis-Jean.
Att: 30,125
Ref: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill)

VIALLI PRAISE FOR ZOLA, PLATT

Vialli praised his friend's tactics that forced Chelsea into struggle for the first 57 minutes of the cup tie: "I think David chose the right tactics. They played with four defenders and five midfielders and made it very difficult for us to find the spaces to play our fancy football. They always had a man on Frank Leboeuf and he couldn't hit those long passes.

"We had to wait and be patient and try to take advantage of the set-pieces. This was what happened.

"I said 'Well Done' to David afterwards but we were the best team on the pitch.

"In the first half we created three or four great chances. It's difficult to do more than that when a team defends so well against you. After the goal we found more spaces to explore."

Vialli was delighted to see controversial defender Leboeuf back in the headlines for the right reasons after he headed opener which changed the game.

Vialli added: "I always sympathise when players are having a bad time and he has responded very well. He has shown he can be strong and determined and make a difference on the pitch."

Vialli specifically praised his underfire stiker Gianfranco Zola for his tireless contribution.

He said: "It's always important for a striker who hasn't scored for a while to put the ball in the net.

"Gianfranco did very well. He wasn't bothered about not scoring and he kept working hard and created chances for others. He did the right things all over the pitch.

"If he manages to score on top of that, it will be good for him but as long as we win 2-0, I'm happy."

Forest boss David Platt invented a new word in his post-match summation, before saying that his team became stretched when they had to chase the game: "There's not a deal you can do when a player like Zola puts a ball in like that. It's fairly undefendable.

"We restricted them in open play but it changed the game when we conceded a goal. They had their best efforts when we went to 4-4-2.

"If you give Chelsea that kind of space they will punish you."

Platt revealed his pre-match plan for the tie, and his upset that those plans were not followed to the letter: "In the last 48 hours we worked on the training pitch to try to get them back to our place or even sneak a win. We knew we couldn't take them head on and we tried to frustrate and catch them on the counter.