Grant defends Chelsea flops
LONDON (AFP) — Chelsea manager Avram Grant refused to criticise his players after they failed to overcome Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
The home players left the field to a chorus of boos aafter this Premier League stalemate and there is deeper frustration after the sending off of Didier Drogba and injury sustained by captain John Terry.
Terry will undergo an operation on a cheekbone fracture on Sunday and is set to miss his side's trip to Valencia in the Champions League this coming week.
Chelsea trail early league leaders Arsenal by seven points already, but Israeli manager Grant is refusing to show too much concern as the pressure mounts on him to reproduce the record of Jose Mourinho.
"We had seven or eight chances, which is good, but we did not score," he said. "I think it was not our best game. We created enough to win, but unfortunately we did not score.
"We need to score, and then we need to win, I can't argue with this. This gap there, anything can happen, but we need to score goals and play better.
"The players want to do that. We need to improve a few things and then we can speak about the gap."
Terry's injury came after a first half collision with Clint Dempsey. He will now become a doubt for England's upcoming Euro 2008 qualifying matches.
"He wanted to continue," Grant said, "But we did not want to take the risk. The players said it (the challenge) was an elbow, but I have not seen a replay of it."
Chelsea dominated this west London derby, but lacked the attacking edge needed to carve open this defiant Fulham defence.
And even when they did find a way through, goalkeeper Kasey Keller denied them.
Andriy Shevcheno and Joe Cole had their best efforts of the first half, while Fulham had a half hearted penalty appeal, against Tal Ben Haim for handball, turned down.
Keller made his best save of the afternoon on 53 minutes, from Salomon Kalou. The American goalkeeper made a clever reaction save as the forward slid in on goal.
Claudio Pizarro replaced Shevchenko soon after, and while the Peruvian substitute did not test Keller, he did add a different shape to the front line.
Joe Cole came agonisingly close to an opener on 70 minutes, but then Drogba received his red card. He had been booked earlier in the game for dissent, and after a high challenge on Chris Baird he was shown a second yellow card.
It was Fulham who finished the game strongest, and should have taken all three points away.
Paul Konchesky raced away from Alex eight minutes from time, but saw his effort blocked by the feet of Petr Cech. Then in the final minute, Diomansy Kamara wasted an opportunity as Clint Dempsey narowly missed his cross-cum-shot at the far post.
"Anyone would settle for a point at Chelsea," said manager Lawrie Sanchez. "But when you are that close to ending their record you think, 'let's take it'.
"We only got a point, but that sums up our season in the league. We have not got just desserts for the points we have accumulated."
