REACTION: MIND THE GAP

Carlo Ancelotti praised his players' start to the season after a solitary goal against Manchester United put us five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The goal, scored in slightly controversial circumstances, was claimed by both John Terry and Nicolas Anelka, who both got a touch to Frank Lampard's second-half free-kick. It gives us a comfortable looking cushion as we head into the international break.

Speaking on the victory, Ancelotti said: 'It is important, because this means we started the season very well, and we know that the season is very long, we have to stay focused for the next matches and today beat a very good team.

The game had been extremely tight right up until the goal, with both sides struggling to fashion anything like a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity.

That was until Darren Fletcher was adjudged to have fouled Ashley Cole, a decision United manager Sir Alex Ferguson thought was wrong, and Lampard sent over his curling free-kick towards Terry and Anelka.

By that point it was Chelsea who were looking the more likely scorers, and Ancelotti was happy to explain the change in approach he had instructed.

'After 25 minutes in the second half we changed the positions of Essien and Ballack, with Ballack in the centre,' he said. 'Manchester put strong pressure on with Fletcher, Carrick and Anderson in the midfield, and they did a good job, because it was difficult to play in the midfield in this game.'

'It is difficult to beat Manchester, it was in the balance over 90 minutes and difficult to score. We won on a set play, sometimes we lost on the set plays and today we won from this situation which is important.'

The win gives us 30 points from our first 12 games, five ahead of United who have played the same number, yet the Italian is refusing to take anything for granted so early in the campaign.

'I think that until now we did very well, but you have to count at the end of the season. We are in a good position in the Premiership and Champions League and have to say thanks to all the players because until now we did very well. There will be other hard matches like today.'

Today was our second consecutive victory against top-four opposition, having defeated Liverpool 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in early October.

'It is important, we have to know that. We won against Liverpool and Manchester United but we lost against Wigan and Aston Villa. Every game is the same, always three points and we have to maintain concentration against Manchester united and also other teams, warned the 50-year-old.

Behind the straight face though, Ancelotti will be delighted with his side's 11th consecutive home win, a club record, against one of our major rivals.

The players now depart for international duty before Wolverhampton Wanderers are the visitors to the Bridge on November 21, when five the five point gap could even grow to eight.

Football: Blues go five clear

LONDON: Chelsea moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League after John Terry’s late goal clinched a 1-0 win over champions Manchester United at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who have now equalled a club record of 11 successive home wins, edged a fiercely contested encounter when Blues captain Terry struck in the 76th minute from a disputed free-kick.

United, beaten for the third time this season, had a first half penalty appeal turned down when Terry tugged Antonio Valencia’s shirt.

Wayne Rooney went close after the break but Chelsea won it in the 76th minute when referee Martin Atkinson ruled that Darren Fletcher’s challenge on Ashley Cole was worthy of a foul.

Frank Lampard curled in the set-piece and Terry timed his run perfectly to glance a header past Edwin van der Sar into the far corner.

Either way, Chelsea were undeniably fortunate to take all three points after a contest that a depleted United side had controlled for long periods.

With a virtually full strength squad to pick from, Ancelotti resolved his one selection issue by opting for Deco rather than Joe Cole at the sharp end of his midfield diamond.

Sir Alex Ferguson, in contrast, had his options limited by the absence of the injured Dimitar Berbatov, although the United manager may well have, in any case, opted to start with Wayne Rooney as a lone striker ahead of a five-man midfield.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink eased the pressure on Hull manager Phil Brown as his stoppage time strike clinched a crucial 2-1 win against 10-man Stoke.

Brown has been fighting to save his job after presiding over a woeful run of just three wins in 33 league games, but he can sleep a little easier after Dutch striker Vennegoor of Hesselink capped a spirited fightback.

Newly appointed Tigers chairman Adam Pearson has been publicly supportive of Brown, yet only positive results could save him from the axe.

So when Matthew Etherington gave Stoke a first half lead at the KC Stadium, Brown must have feared the worst.

However, Hull’s Nigeria midfielder Seyi Olofinjana scored a superb equaliser against his former club before Stoke’s Abdoulaye Faye was sent off in the closing stages for two bookings.

That was the signal for a late Hull barrage of pressure and Vennegoor of Hesselink was on hand to turn in the winner from Jimmy Bullard’s shot and lift the Tigers out of the relegation zone.

West Ham meanwhile dropped back into the drop zone after goals from Louis Saha and Dan Gosling secured a 2-1 victory for Everton at Upton Park.

Toffees defender Tony Hibbert helped a Junior Stanislas effort into his own net immediately after Gosling had put Everton two up in the 64th minute but the Hammers were unable to find an equaliser despite late pressure.

It was Everton’s first win in four league games and brought an abrupt end to West Ham’s hopes of extending their recent run of three league games without defeat.

Clint Dempsey kept his nerve to score the penalty that helped Fulham to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Wigan at the DW Stadium.

Roy Hodgson’s team fell behind to Emmerson Boyce’s early goal, but American midfielder Dempsey won and converted a spot-kick before half-time to ensure Fulham remain one point ahead of the Latics in mid-table. — Agencies

Carlo Ancelotti shows loyalty to his terrific thirtysomethings at Chelsea

Stars in stripes: There was no question of Carlo Ancelotti pensioning off his Chelsea legends, John Terry and Frank Lampard Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Ageism in the workplace is a sensitive topic at any time, not least when your career depends on the ability to run around a football pitch like a teenager.

So when Sir Alex Ferguson dismissed Chelsea’s challenge for the Premier League title last season with the slightly offhand and patronising remark that the squad in blue were 'ageing’, it might have led some managers to start looking for new blood.

But not Carlo Ancelotti. When the Italian arrived from AC Milan in the summer, he inherited a squad with leading players Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba some way past their 30th birthdays. His reaction? Give them new contracts, and make sure 28-year-olds John Terry and Ashley Cole are looked after, too.

All four have signed long-term deals, with Joe Cole, the boy wonder who becomes 28 on Sunday likely to follow suit soon, as Ancelotti looks to maintain the nucleus of a side that has plenty of time to win those glittering prizes coveted by Roman Abramovic.

And Ancelotti should know. He is the man who took AC Milan to three European Cup finals in five years, winning the Champions League twice, with plenty of thirtysomethings under his command.

Paolo Maldini was the most striking example, still a world-class player well into his thirties before retiring last May at the age of 40. But Ancelotti also had Filippo Inzaghi scoring goals, Clarence Seedorf running the midfield and even got David Beckham back to his prime physically in his mid-30s, thanks to the advanced sports science facilities in Milan.

Now he is bringing the same approach to Chelsea, and dismisses talk of his side, who face Ferguson’s United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, as over the hill.

“At the moment, when a player is 30 years old, he is in the prime of his career,” said the Italian. “Ten years ago he would have been an old player but now, with new physical training and other things, 30 is the best moment of a player’s career.”

He certainly had no qualms about extending the contracts of his key players. “They are young players really. I think that this club, with new contracts for players, wants to maintain this squad and wants to think to the future.”

That includes Joe Cole, whose recent return from injury was like signing a new player for Ancelotti, who admitted that one position he was concerned about in the summer was the playmaker at the tip of his midfield 'diamond’. First Deco (32) decided to stay at Chelsea rather than move abroad, and then Cole returned in October to show that he can be even more effective in a central role.

Cole’s current contract is due to expire next summer but Ancelotti has no doubts the England midfielder will sign a new one soon. “For sure, we want to keep Joe Cole and he wants to stay with us. That will not be a problem for his future.

“His return from injury is very important for the club, and also the return of Paulo Ferreira, because it means we don’t need to sign any other players.”

So Ancelotti is in no hurry to take advantage of the suspension of the transfer ban imposed on Chelsea by FIFA. He believes his side, with an average age of 29, is perfectly placed to keep out the challenge of United – no spring chickens themselves with an average age of 28 and plenty in their thirties, such as Edwin van der Sar (39), Ryan Giggs (35) and Paul Scholes (34). He could point out, over a glass of red wine with Ferguson, that those three are all older than any of his players – but possibly that would be churlish, not to mention ageist.

Ancelotti confident ahead of United test

LONDON: Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti knows his first Premier League clash with Manchester United will provide the acid test of his title credentials, but he believes the champions have weaknesses that can be exploited in today's summit meeting.

Ancelotti's side have become the top pick to win the English crown after an impressive start under the Italian suggested he has recaptured the magic missing from Stamford Bridge since Jose Mourinho's departure.

But Ancelotti is well aware that only when he has emerged unscathed from a head to head duel with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will he truly be able to feel like a major player in the Premier League.

The likes of Mourinho and Arsenal's Arsene Wenger earned their stripes -- and Ferguson's grudging admiration -- by defeating United in individual matches and then the title race.

Now Ancelotti, whose side are two points clear of second placed United, must do the same.

While most of Ferguson's managerial opponents will inevitably suffer from an inferiority complex when they compare their achievements with the Scot's, Ancelotti can draw inspiration from his previous battles with United.

He has knocked Ferguson out of the Champions League twice during his time with AC Milan, with the 2007 semi-final rout at the San Siro a particularly fond memory, and has won a Community Shield penalty shoot-out against United in August.

The Blues chief believes today's match will go his way as well if Chelsea take advantage of the flaws in Ferguson's defence and midfield.

United, who haven't won at the Bridge since 2002, were unusually timid in their 2-0 defeat at Liverpool two weeks ago and their porous defence has conceded 11 goals already in the league this season.

And, with England defender Rio Ferdinand ruled out with a back injury, Ancelotti suspects Chelsea may be able to expose United's soft centre in the same way as Liverpool.

"Liverpool played a fantastic match (against United), a strong match and put a lot of pressure on. That's why they won," Ancelotti said.

"They didn't give United any possibility to play like they want to play. It was a good lesson for us because Manchester can suffer when there's pressure on their midfielders.

"I think Ferdinand is a very good defender. Without Ferdinand they lose something.

"But I don't want to work just against other team's weaknesses. We want to put our own qualities on the pitch.

"The best thing is to maintain a balance. They have fantastic strikers. Wayne Rooney is one of the most intelligent strikers in the world."


Ferguson will hope the return to fitness of Serbia centre-back Nemanja Vidic shores up a defence that conceded three times against CSKA Moscow in midweek, while Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov could feature after a knee injury.

The United manager, who can point to a famous 1999 Champions League victory over Ancelotti's Juventus as proof that he doesn't need to fear the Italian, has seen Chelsea bosses Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink fail to overthrow United in recent years.

But he admits Ancelotti could pose the biggest threat to his supremacy since Mourinho's departure.

"I thought Ancelotti would do well," he said. "He was a great coach at AC Milan. He won the European Cup twice and brought a wealth of experience with him to Chelsea.

"He was also a great player so he has a lot of knowledge. He brought a different system to the ones Chelsea have used in the past.

"It has maybe been easier to adapt tactics because they have very experienced players, who have more tactical knowledge than the younger ones. It seems to have worked well."

Even though there is plenty at stake today, Ancelotti has no intention of being an unwelcoming host and will share a bottle of red wine with Ferguson whatever the result.

"We drank red wine after we drew in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Juventus against United," he said. "United equalised in the last minute and I was a bit angry. But after the red wine it was better!" -- AFP

Manager won't rush for Chelsea chequebook

LONDON: Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti insisted on Friday that he will not be rushing for the Stamford Bridge chequebook despite a transfer ban being lifted on the Premier League leaders.

The high-flying London club had been banned by Fifa from signing any new players until January 2011 after they were accused of encouraging French youngster Gael Kakuta to break a contract with his first club, Lens.

But on Friday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) temporarily lifted the four-month suspension pending a full ruling by arbitrators which now allows Chelsea to reinforce their squad in the January transfer window.

Ancelotti said: "We can buy players in January, but we don't want to take a decision in this moment.

"I'm very happy with the squad and it's not necessary at the moment to take new players.

"I know we will lose four players in January (to the African Cup of Nations), but if we maintain the players' fitness, we can have a good period also without the African players."

Earlier, CAS released a statement from its headquarters in Lausanne in which it explained its decision.

"The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has granted the request for a stay filed by Chelsea Football Club Ltd and Mr Gael Kakuta in relation to the decision taken by the Fifa Dispute Resolution Chamber on 27 August 2009," it said.

Chelsea had asked for a suspension in a bid to sign new players during the January transfer window.

The arbitrators normally take about four months to rule on cases from the moment they were lodged -- in Chelsea and Kakuta's case on Oct 22.

That would potentially leave the London side free to take part in the next transfer window between Jan 1 and 31, 2010.

The court has not yet set a date for a hearing on the case, staff said.

FIFA has been trying to clamp down on the practice of negotiating and making deals with players already under contract with another club, especially those involving youngsters. -- AFP