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Chelsea squeeze through as Watford upset Pompey
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-12-01 10:39
Chelsea's Damien
Duff (C) celebrates with Alexei Smertin (L) and Didier Drogba (R) after
scoring against Fulham during their English League Cup quarter-final
soccer match at Craven Cottage in London November 30, 2004.
[REuters] |
Chelsea booked their place in the
League Cup semi-finals with a late 2-1 win at Fulham and were joined by
unfancied Watford after the Championship side trounced Premier League Portsmouth
3-0.
Chelsea, who thrashed Fulham 4-1 just over two weeks ago, needed an 88th
minute winner from substitute Frank Lampard to scrape victory on their return to
Craven Cottage.
The leaders went ahead in the 55th minute on Tuesday with a deflected shot
from Ireland winger Damien Duff, only for American striker Brian McBride to
level in the 74th.
Watford, who thrashed Southampton 5-2 in the fourth round, claimed another
top flight victim with two goals from Icelandic striker Heidar Helguson and one
from Bruce Dyer.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho showed his determination to reach the February 27
final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff by fielding nine first-team regulars,
plus defender Glen Johnson and midfielder Scott Parker.
Fulham made much the better start, though, and striker Andy Cole was among
those missing chances. They paid the price when Duff's shot from the edge of the
area took a deflection off defender Ian Pearce and beat goalkeeper Edwin van der
Sar.
McBride equalised when Elvis Hammond provided a low cross just a minute after
replacing Cole and the American forward steered home for Chris Coleman's side.
Lampard settled the tie with a shot from outside the area which cannoned off
Van der Sar into the roof of the net.
CHELSEA FIGHT
Mourinho said: "It's always difficult against a team you played 15 days ago.
They felt that game, they could study it and use it to prepare the next one.
"The game was very difficult for us and credit to Chris and his players, who
were fantastic. My players fought a lot... and I think we were a bit lucky to
score that goal at the end."
Coleman, who slammed his men after Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Blackburn Rovers,
said: "We perhaps deserved more than what we got, it was a fantastic
performance.
"We were booed off on Saturday, and rightly so. Tonight we were cheered. Our
fans realised we came out to prove a point. If we play like that, week in week
out, there won't be a problem."
Portsmouth, playing their second game under executive director and caretaker
boss Velimir Zajec after Harry Redknapp's resignation, never hit their stride at
Vicarage Road.
Watford were ahead after 24 minutes when defender Neil Cox hit a free kick
from the halfway line and Pompey keeper Jamie Ashdown was beaten to the ball by
Helguson's header.
Helguson flicked in his second goal off Jermaine Darlington's cross in the
57th minute and Dyer snapped up their third just past the hour mark after
Ashdown spilled a shot from James Chambers.
The quarter-finals continue on Wednesday with Manchester United hosting
arch-rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford and Tottenham Hotspur welcoming Liverpool to
White Hart Lane.
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