Lampard involved with the goal-line once again as Chelsea keep up title chase

By Darshan Joshi, writing from Kuala Lumpur

It was a game of fine margins. It started off according to script… or not. Sandro’s glorious half-volley, from well out of the penalty area after some good work by Rafael van der Vaart, rifled itself past Petr Cech, who did well to get a few fingers on the ball. Immediately, and ironically, Harry Redknapp then ordered Sandro to just sit in front of the back four. But, his side’s composed performance was undone by two very fortuitous Chelsea goals, and Spurs will have every reason to feel hard done by. First, Heurelho Gomes’ nightmarish handling of a rather tame Frank Lampard strike squirmed through his body, but still didn’t completely cross the line. The ‘goal’ stood, and Chelsea were level.

Then, with minutes left to play, Chelsea’s gamebreaker came to the fore. Saloman Kalou is somewhat a manager’s dream. Only a bit-part player, Kalou never complains about having to persistently warm the bench, and yet he’ll get you at least ten goals a season. This time, his uncanny ability to be in the right place at exactly the right time allowed him to turn in Didier Drogba’s scuffed shot. Video replays suggested the Chelsea frontman was marginally offside, but as far as Stamford Bridge was concerned, the title race was back on, in full throttle. Chelsea are now three points behind Manchester United, albeit having played a game more, and they visit Old Trafford next weekend.

As for Tottenham, their exciting first season in the Champions League is ending with a giant whimper. They have only won one of their last eight Premier League fixtures, by the end of this weekend could find themselves seven points behind Manchester City, occupants of the last Champions League berth.

For all that is made of Tottenham’s midfield, their strikeforce is lacking. The combination of Roman Pavlyuchenko, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch may strike fear into the cores of the likes of Wigan Athletic and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but they simply aren’t good enough for a side hoping to challenge the big boys in England. Then, there’s the goalkeeping conundrum. Maybe it will be good for Harry’s boys to spend a season in the wilderness, to harness their strength and return to Europe’s premier competition with an even bigger bang. They will need to spend, spend, spend this summer.

Chelsea, though, will be on a high. It wasn’t a well-oiled performance, and they were lucky to get out of today’s battle with three points, but isn’t that the stuff of champions? It’s all in the past now, though. If Manchester United beat Arsenal tonight, Chelsea’s work will be undone. Whatever the case, it will all be decided in Manchester next weekend.

Torres watch: Very decent performance. He looked hungry and showed flashes of the player he used to be. Fingers crossed, he’ll be back to his best next season.