Chelsea 1 Stoke 0: Fuller sees red as Drogba keeps Blues in the hunt

If nothing else, the prognosis looks more hopeful at Stamford Bridge than it did a week ago.
Two routine if unspectacular wins and the return of the old guard to the team have at least stemmed the bleeding on the wounded patient, though Napoli could yet inflict a mortal blow on Wednesday.
But when Didier Drogba scored the decisive goal, his 100th in the Premier League coming the day before his 34th birthday, there was a palpable sense of relief.
What might have become a dispiriting goalless draw against a well-organised Stoke side, who were reduced to 10 men after 25 minutes thanks to Ricardo Fuller's stupidity, became a morale-boosting victory.
John Terry returned, two-and-a-half weeks after his knee operation, and despite two near calamitous slip-ups, it adds to a sense of wellbeing at the club.
Fans even briefly chanted the name of caretaker manager and former player Roberto Di Matteo, who quickly acknowledged the support with a thumbs-up. Almost in the same breath, those same fans made it clear they do not approve of the talks the board have had with Rafa Benitez but, for now, order is restored, stability has returned and the essential qualification for the Champions League remains in sight.
'Today was a step in that direction and sometimes during the season you have to win like this,' said Di Matteo. 'It's not always going to be easy and pretty. We had some great games against Bolton, where we scored lots of goals and played fantastically well, but sometimes you have to win a little bit scrappy.'
It is not, you would imagine, quite what Roman Abramovich imagined when he charged Andre Villas-Boas with turning Chelsea into a new Barcelona at the start of the season. But then, needs must.
This wasn't beautiful but then it wasn't a humiliating defeat. The calm cannot last, of course, for this is Chelsea but their task was considerably aided by the inexplicable indiscipline of Fuller.
Just 25 minutes had passed when he was upended by Branislav Ivanovic.Fuller decided to pre-empt the referee and administer his own justice. As he fell to the ground, he kicked out in order to stamp on the Chelsea defender and made painful contact.
Having picked himself up, all that remained for Fuller was for Andre Marriner to send him off.


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