Chelsea - 1 Fulham - 1:PREMIERSHIP:Claudio Ranieri was laughing as heartily as ever but few Chelsea fans will have found much to smile about in their team's stuttering display and news of Liverpool's resurgence.
A final-day meeting between those clubs here looks certain to decide the battle for a top-four spot and surely not even Ranieri will chuckle if his side miss out on a £10 million Champions League pay-out.
Chelsea's fate remains in their own hands. Unless freak results this weekend wipe out their goal-difference advantage of eight on Liverpool, a win on the last afternoon would guarantee them a top-four berth. A draw would be the maximum required if they first win at West Ham on Saturday, when Liverpool are at home to Manchester City.
Chelsea slipped up here by failing to take their chances, in part because of three good saves by Maik Taylor, and never mastered a Fulham game-plan which frustrated their attacking and caused them growing problems at the back.
Fulham's 4-2-3-1 formation gave them plenty of bodies behind the ball and clogged up the central areas through which Chelsea wanted to feed passes into Gianfranco Zola and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Chelsea were crying out for some width but found little.
Jesper Gronkjaer could not maintain the standard he set against Everton and departed with a stomach problem. Ranieri could have done with Boudewijn Zenden on the bench but had replaced him at the last minute with Jody Morris as cover for Emmanuel Petit, who was carrying an injury but turned out to be Chelsea's best performer.
Ranieri rightly believes Chelsea would have won had Frank Lampard scored from three yards at 1-0. Taylor deserves tremendous credit for recovering to push the ball on to the bar but Lampard ought to have found the net. Ten minutes later Luis Boa Morte beat Marcel Desailly and scored a fine equaliser.
Having started tentatively, Fulham had by then got to grips with the need to get quick support up to their lone striker, Elvis Hammond, and could easily have won. They fell behind to a messy first-half goal which culminated in Alain Goma putting through his own net, though he and Andy Melville generally impressed.
Fulham are not safe but Chris Coleman looks like keeping them up and wants a role under his successor. "If we stay in the Premiership I'll be looking for a big fat pay cheque off the chairman," he said with a smile. Not even Ranieri will be smiling if Chelsea miss out on their fat pay cheque.
Guardian Service
CHELSEA: Cudicini, Gallas (Melchiot 72), Desailly, Terry, Le Saux, De Lucas (Morris 72), Lampard, Petit, Gronkjaer (Gudjohnsen 59), Zola, Hasselbaink. Subs Not Used: de Goey, Cole. Booked: Petit, Gronkjaer, Terry. Goals: Goma 39 og.
FULHAM: Taylor, Finnan, Melville, Goma, Harley, Malbranque (Hayles 83), Clark, Davis, Legwinski, Hammond, Boa Morte (John Collins 83). Subs Not Used: Van der Sar, Sava, Knight. Booked: Boa Morte, Clark. Goals: Boa Morte 66.
Referee: D Elleray.
