Blackburn Rovers 3 Chelsea 3 (Blackburn win 4-3 on penalties):CARLO ANCELOTTI got his tactics badly wrong as Chelsea were surprisingly dumped out of the League Cup on penalties in what was eventually a pulsating quarter-final. Gael Kakuta missed the decisive spot-kick for Chelsea to give Blackburn a 4-3 win on penalties last night.
There seemed only one likely winner once Didier Drogba came on at half-time and two goals in seven minutes wiped out a first-half deficit, but in using all three substitutes at once Ancelotti left himself unprepared to deal with a Blackburn fightback, and perhaps nore importantly with a late injury to Salomon Kalou that saw Chelsea play out the last 15 minutes of normal time with 10 men.
Weary and weakened, Chelsea lasted barely a minute of extra-time before going behind to a penalty. David Hoilett was adjudged to have been tripped by Yury Zhirkov in a pile up of players, and despite Chelsea’s protests McCarthy scored confidently from the spot. Blackburn looked unlikely to let a lead slip a second time and missed several decent scoring chances in the next 28 minutes, a failing they were made to pay for when Paulo Ferreira slammed in an equaliser from a narrow angle with virtually the last kick.
While changes are expected in the competition and Ancelotti duly made seven from the Arsenal game, the visiting back line was something to behold, with Paulo Ferreira and Branislav Ivanovic in central defence protecting Henrique Hilario in goal.
Chelsea began attacking from the off but Blackburn survived the first couple of skirmishes and then began making inroads of their own.
Nikola Kalinic had already been involved in one promising move, blazing wide from Benni McCarthy’s pass, by the time he put Rovers ahead in the ninth minute. Pascal Chimbonda carried the ball towards the Chelsea and was surprised at the progress he made, and though he appeared in danger of straying offside in accepting a return pass from Morten Gamst Pedersen the flag stayed down and it was a simple matter for the Croatian to tap in a ball squared low across the face of goal.
Ancelotti was glimpsed in his technical area looking puzzled at this point, and was saved from looking horrified only by Jason Roberts’ inability to accept a gift from Ferreira.
When Juliano Belletti’s cross gave Kalou a free header he only just managed to make contact with the ball, never mind find the target. Joe Cole did better with a run and a shot on the half hour, only to find the side-netting. Michael Ballack did the same thing with a volley from Florent Malouda’s cross, after McCarthy had given the ball away in midfield, yet still Blackburn continued to miss good opportunities.
Chris Samba should have scored when a free kick came all the way through to him on the six-yard line, yet lacking a striker’s instinct succeeded only in nudging the ball into Hilario’s grasp.
The home crowd’s worst fears were confirmed when Drogba appeared for the second half, although the fact that Ancelotti made his other two substitutions at the same time, and one of them was 18-year-old wonderkid Gael Kakuta, suggested he may not have been taking the game all that seriously. It took Drogba a mere three minutes to put Chelsea back on terms with a firm header from Malouda’s cross, and four minutes after that the visitors were in front, Ballack’s crossfield ball catching the Rovers defence too far upfield and Kalou keeping his nerve to beat Paul Robinson.
It appeared the only problem Chelsea would have after that was a clash of heads between Steven Nzonzi and Kakuta that required both to leave the field for treatment, though Rovers unexpectedly forced their way back into the game through a Hilario mistake.
There seemed no real danger from Emerton’s hoisted cross from the right and though Kalinic hardly got a touch with an attempted header his leap distracted the Chelsea goalkeeper sufficiently for him to let the ball bounce past him and in. The Tannoy credited Kalinic with a second goal of the evening, yet it appeared the credit belonged to Emerton.
BLACKBURN ROVERS: Robinson, Salgado, Samba, Nelsen, Chimbonda, Emerton, Nzonzi (Van Heerden 91), Pedersen (Grella 62), McCarthy, Roberts (Hoilett 70), Kalinic. Subs not used: Brown, Givet, Diouf, Jones. Booked: Grella.
CHELSEA: Hilario, Belletti (Bruma 46), Ivanovic, Paulo Ferreira, Zhirkov, Mikel, Ballack, Deco (Drogba 46), Joe Cole (Kakuta 46), Kalou, Malouda. Subs not used: Turnbull, Matic, Hutchinson, Borini. Booked: Bruma.
Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).
