Premier League - Chelsea held as Spurs get off mark

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Eurosport - Sun, 31 Aug 16:22:00 2008
Chelsea lost their 100 per cent start to the new Premier League season when they were held to a 1-1 draw by arch rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
  















Juliano Belletti opened the scoring for the hosts on 28 minutes before Darren Bent opened his account for the campaign with the equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
The result handed Spurs their first point of the season, while two dropped points for Chelsea mean they now face the prospect of losing top spot by the end of the weekend should Liverpool beat Aston Villa in the late kick-off.
It was a stuttering performance from Luiz Felipe Scolari's side, who looked capable of running away with the game during an impressive first half, only to struggle for attacking ideas after the break.
Chelsea set out their stall early on, and the hosts could have taken the lead in the sixth minute, Frank Lampard seeing a brilliantly executed chip tipped over the bar by Spurs' backpeddling keeper Heurelho Gomes.
But that chance apart, the opening exchanges were evenly matched until Chelsea visibly decided to up the tempo. Sure enough the chances began to come thicker and faster.
On 26 minutes, Nicolas Anelka's run was picked out by a lovely Belletti pass but the Frenchman, who is yet to hit his stride this season, fired high and wide despite an assured first touch.
A minute later, it was Michael Essien who threatened to open the scoring. Only a rattling crossbar denied the midfielder a 25-yard effort with Gomes this time beaten all ends up.
But soon after, Chelsea's pressure reaped rewards as Belletti took advantage of Bent's horribly mis-kicked near post clearance from a corner to direct the ball off his leg and into the back of the net.
They hardly needed it, but the goal seemed to give Chelsea further confidence and they went on to dominate the opening period, only to be stunned by the equaliser just before half-time as Bent made amends for his earlier slip.
Prolific in pre-season, Spurs held out high hopes for the striker once the new campaign started but in their opening two games - both defeats - he had been anonymous.
Bent has not been helped by being asked to play a lone forward role in the absence of wantaway striker Dimitar Berbatov - again missing from the squad at Stamford Bridge - but he chose the perfect time to repay the faith Juande Ramos has shown in him.
The goal had an element of fortune about it, the ball ricocheting off Lampard and into the path of Bent who bore down on goal before slotting underneath the advancing Petr Cech.
It was the perfect time for Spurs to score and a blow that Chelsea found difficult to overcome.
Scolari ordered his troops to attack after the break and they responded, although their sorties forward lacked an end result.
Ashley Cole, given a new lease of life under Scolari on the flank this season, got forward as much as he could, firing a cross-shot wide of the far post soon after the restart before Lampard attempted another chip on 54 minutes. This time, Gomes was not troubled, the ball drifting over the bar.
But it was far from the expected siege upon the Spurs goal and as the second half wore on, it became clear that Chelsea were not going to grab a late winner.
Substitute Salomon Kalou came closest with 11 minutes remaining but having just entered the fray the Ivorian striker could only drag his effort wide of the mark.