Kalou comes on and costs Chelsea win
Reuters - Wednesday 28 September 2011, 20:42
VALENCIA - Substitute Salomon
Kalou was the villain for Chelsea and goalkeeper Diego Alves the
hero for Valencia as the London club gifted the Spaniards a late
equaliser in a 1-1 draw in Champions League Group E on
Wednesday.
Frank Lampard put Chelsea ahead in the 56th minute at the
Mestalla but his fine goal was cancelled out when Ivory Coast
forward Kalou, who had replaced Lampard only minutes earlier,
flapped an arm at a Valencia cross and the referee pointed to
the spot.
Striker Roberto Soldado struck the ball low to goalkeeper
Petr Cech's left for an 87th-minute leveller before Alves
produced the last of a string of brilliant stops to deny
substitute Nicolas Anelka.
The Brazilian had earlier saved twice from Fernando Torres
and once from Ramires during a frenetic period of Chelsea
pressure that culminated in Lampard's goal.
"We had chances to make it 2-0 in the second half but we had
bad luck," Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas said at a news
conference.
Asked about the Kalou incident, the Portuguese added: "We
don't praise people in public and we don't criticise either. It
was one of those incidents you can't control."
Chelsea top the group with four points from two matches,
with German side Bayer Leverkusen in second on three points
thanks to their 2-0 win at home to Genk. Valencia have two
points in third and Genk one point in fourth.
PERFECT RESPONSE
Chelsea, the 2008 finalists, started strongly against a
nervous-looking Valencia, who committed a number of mistakes in
midfield in the early stages.
The home side's French defender Adil Rami had to be alert to
thwart Torres in the third minute when the Spain striker raced
through the middle following an error by David Albelda.
Lampard forced a fine save from Alves with a powerful low
free-kick in the 14th before Valencia had their first real
chance in the 25th when Pablo Hernandez turned Jordi Alba's
cross into the side-netting.
Valencia, who were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at Genk
in their opening game, started to come back into the match
before halftime but fell behind after Chelsea turned the screw
early in the second period.
Alves produced four stunning stops inside three minutes but
there was nothing the Brazilian could do when Florent Malouda
sped down the right wing and squared for Lampard to smash the
ball low into the corner with a superb first-time strike.
The 33-year-old England midfielder was left on the bench
against Swansea City at the weekend but provided the perfect
response to speculation about his future.
"Lampard put in a fine individual performance and he scored
a goal," Villas-Boas said. "He is a great player and we are very
pleased with him."