Gutsy Hull hold John Terry and Chelsea to a 1-1 draw - 7M sport

Gutsy Hull hold John Terry and Chelsea to a 1-1 draw



Posted Wednesday, February 03, 2010 by theguardian.com

Gutsy Hull hold John Terry and Chelsea to a 1-1 draw
Didier Drogba scored but battling Hull made their point in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

Chelsea lead the Premier League by two points, but they no longer look in command of it. The side had won all five of their matches when Didier Drogba was absent at the Africa Cup of Nations, but his return did not extend the sequence. That was no fault of the Ivorian, who provided the equaliser at the KC Stadium, but the visitors never had a pugnacious Hull under complete control.

Sunday's encounter with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge will be all the more intriguing as they strain to keep Manchester United at bay. This was a sporadic display. There was none of the relentless authority that distinguishes them when they are at their most co-ordinated.

Hull take huge credit for that, since they did much more than resist. This was the 11th consecutive game without a win in all competitions for Phil Brown's side, but it felt more like a fresh start. Composed and content as Carlo Ancelotti attempted to appear afterwards, his discomfort was revealed in the decisions he took during the match.

The Italian even took off a muted Nicolas Anelka, who could be considered Chelsea's best player this season, in the hope that the inexperienced Daniel Sturridge might make a difference. The latter did demand a good save from the impressive Boaz Myhill in stoppage time. But for all the goalkeeper's sharp work, Hull had a sense of adventure that was never entirely extinguished.

Their resilience had also to be demonstrated, but the most important show of resistance this week was the rejection of Wolves' £5m bid for Stephen Hunt in the transfer window. The Irishman was composed and dangerous in his work on the flanks. He was involved when Hull took the lead after half an hour.

Hunt's corner from the right was headed in forcefully by Steven Mouyokolo who was aided in scoring his first goal for the club by the lax marking of Michael Ballack. Chelsea's vulnerability at set pieces is turning into a chronic condition. The unease is now reflected in selection and it is no longer clear whether Ricardo Carvalho or Alex is the preferred partner for John Terry in the middle of the defence.

Chelsea, having conceded the opener, were provoked into vigour, but their leveller came in odd circumstances. They appealed for a penalty as Frank Lampard seemed to be brought down, but the referee, Mark Clattenburg, had already blown for a foul on Anelka just outside the 18-yard box. The issue became an irrelevance when Drogba levelled by curling the free-kick round the wall and into the net three minutes before the interval. Hull were adamant that the free-kick ought to have been indirect.

Chelsea were scarcely in disarray when Drogba was busy representing his country in Angola, but the range of his gifts is great and it mattered here when his team at least extracted a point from the fixture. The Ivorian had last appeared for the club on December 28. He could not quite polish off Hull here and the competitiveness was pronounced despite these clubs having so little in common.

In games of this sort the contrast in attitude is as great as that in the fame or affluence of the respective sets of players. For Hull, this type of evening is a major part of the prize for achieving promotion. For the visitors, it was another task to be completed on a long, ambitious programme, even if they did fall short of victory.

Chelsea's perspective was broad enough for Ashley Cole to be named merely among the substitutes. There was not the slightest suggestion that Terry might lose his way in the flurry of headlines over his private life, even if the centre-back was booked at the start of the second half.

The home support had, naturally, remembered to boo each time he took possession, but with little hope of his confidence crumbling. Chelsea, for a while, seemed to have scant doubt about the outcome. There were signs that supported such faith, but Ballack carelessly headed a Branislav Ivanovic cross straight Myhill in the 25th minute.

Hull are not readily deterred. The risk of falling back into the Championship is glaring, but they were galvanised by this occasion. Ancelotti's side experienced enough consternation for Terry to get that yellow card after pulling back the forward Jozy Altidore.

Hull kept the tempo high and Chelsea were not able to dictate terms from midfield for a while. An hour had passed before they gave evidence of the measured style that must have looked ominous to their opponents. The conviction of Hull continued to be remarkable despite the inferiority recorded in their respective League positions. No matter how poor their form has been, Hull have all the morale essential for the battle against relegation.



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