Chelsea 1-0 Bolton Wanderers

Posted Wednesday, April 14, 2010 by theguardian.com

Chelsea 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
Didier Drogba, left, fights for the ball with Bolton defender Gary Cahill.

Chelsea always believed they boasted the quality to regain their title. Now they might be convinced fortune is with them as well. A stubborn Bolton side were squeezed out here but the victory that has opened up Chelsea's four-point advantage at the top of the table was gleaned only amid the visitors' livid protestations as penalty appeals were turned down.

The officials' failure to award spot-kicks for handballs by Didier Drogba and John Terry, one in each half, provoked Owen Coyle to confront the referee, Lee Probert, as he left the pitch on the final whistle to seek an explanation for the oversights. Sir Alex Ferguson may share his compatriot's frustration. "I know Drogba is a world-class player but he could play world-class volleyball for anybody on that evidence," said the Bolton manager. "And if it hit Terry on his shoulder then, in that case, he must have a shoulder that stretches down to his ankles."

Given the controversy, Carlo Ancelotti's assertion that "the Premier League is now in our hands" felt oddly appropriate. Probert had been officiating only because the original appointment, Chris Foy, has been selected for next month's FA Cup final involving Chelsea. The Gloucestershire referee might have benefited from more accurate guidance from his assistants here, none of the officials having spotted Drogba paw away Matt Taylor's quickly taken free-kick as he leapt to challenge Kevin Davies.

Coyle was still smouldering from that oversight when Terry appeared to knock down Chung-Yong Lee's cross just after the hour mark with his left arm, the ball falling kindly for Petr Cech and the linesman immediately waving away Bolton's appeals to indicate it had struck the defender on the shoulder. "We didn't need any luck tonight," said Coyle. "We only needed the officials to get the big decisions right. I can accept it if they've not seen it if they're out of position but, for the second one, he says it's hit Terry's shoulder. That's not happened, so that's a poor decision.

"I can't recall any favourable decisions going our way since I came to Bolton. I can recall a few that have gone against us. It's hard to take, but there you are. Chelsea are big favourites now and, if they keep getting decisions like that going their way, then Carlo will be rubbing his hands." Drogba's might still be stinging this morning, though any vague sense of guilt will have long since subsided.

Chelsea can sense the title is within reach now. A further 10 points from their final four games, starting at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, will be enough to secure them their first league title since 2006. If this never threatened to be a swashbuckling dismissal of a relegation-threatened side, it still drew upon Chelsea's reserves of patience and resilience. Where their rhythm was never entirely upbeat, they remained relentless and the game's most jaw-dropping flash of quality ultimately proved sufficient to secure a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions.

The first period had apparently been drifting to a scoreless conclusion, Chelsea comfortable in possession as Bolton retreated, when the visitors' concentration lapsed. Yuri Zhirkov, left bloodied in a gruesome clash of heads with Davies early on, had just returned from having four stitches inserted into the gaping head wound – the bandaging having proved utterly insufficient to stem the bleeding – to drift in-field with the ball. Lee was dragged after him, opening up space for Drogba on the flank to collect and dispatch a glorious cross into the six-yard box. Nicolas Anelka could not miss.

How the former Bolton forward had been craving a chance so simple. His last goal came against Burnley at Turf Moor back in January, the 13-game barren run since having anchored the forward's confidence. "He and Didier worked very hard and their goal was fantastic, great movement from Didier on the left and Nicolas was ready in the box," said Ancelotti. "It was a tough game because we didn't have a lot of possibilities to play as we want but it was a good time for Nicolas to score."

The Chelsea manager pointed to the number of chances his team had generated as evidence that the victory was merited, even if few were clear-cut. Salomon Kalou should have converted from Drogba's precise through-ball between Paul Robinson and Gary Cahill, and Frank Lampard fizzed a low attempt on to a post late on, but anxiety had gripped long before the end. Had Johan Elmander been more accurate with a header from a looped Taylor centre then Coyle might not have departed quite so furious with the officials.

"The Premier League is in our hands and we have to stay focused and calm, play game by game," added Ancelotti. "We are excited to see where we are at the moment but we know that we will have to fight again." This win was born of grit and good fortune. Chelsea's luck may just be in.