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Premier League: Chelsea defeats Everton 1-0, keeps alive league title ambitions
Fri. April 18, 2008 02:09 am.- By Bonny Apunyu. -
(SomaliNet) After defeating Everton 1-0 in with a tense competition at Goodison Park, Chelsea kept alive their Premier League title ambitions.
Michael Essien's first-half strike lifted Avram's Grant side to within two points of league leaders Manchester United, and went some way to banishing thoughts of Monday's lacklustre draw with Wigan.
Despite dominating possession the Blues struggled to create clear-cut openings and were ultimately forced to cling on as Everton searched in vain for an equaliser.
Smarting from his decision to rest several key players against Wigan, Grant picked an attack-minded team and returned Joe Cole, Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips to the starting line-up.
Ricardo Carvalho was also reinstated, but there was no place in the squad for Michael Ballack.
Although they enjoyed the better of a disjointed first half, Chelsea failed to muster a single shot on target before Essien's intervention four minutes before the interval.
The Ghanaian midfielder exchanged passes with Wright-Phillips on the edge of the Everton penalty area before steering a neat shot past Tim Howard to put the visitors ahead. A sense of relief was palpable.
Essien benefited from a deflection to the return pass, but there could be no denying his was the sole incisive moment in a half punctuated by woeful play in the final third from both sides.
To win the title, Chelsea must now beat Manchester United next Saturday, win the rest of their games and hope the league leaders drop points elsewhere.-Eurosport
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