Chelsea 2 APOEL Nicosia 2: Michael Essien's hamstring 傷害 is agony to the Blues

By Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail
Updated: 23:42 BST, 8 December 2009

Carlo Ancelotti stood in the rain, 手渡すs sunk 深い in his pockets, and scowled as Michael Essien first を強調するd his 巨大な value to Chelsea, then limped off clutching his hamstring.

Is there any wonder 経営者／支配人s send out the 青年 players for these games at the fag end of the 支持する／優勝者s League group 行う／開催する／段階?

In a game which barely 事柄d, Chelsea were nowhere 近づく their best and 辛うじて 避けるd the ignominy of a third 敗北・負かす in seven days. But there were enough things to irritate Ancelotti.

His team were complacent at the start, 降伏するing an 早期に lead to APOEL, and sloppy in the の近くにing minutes when John Mikel Obi’s mistake 現在のd Nenad Mirosavljevic with an equaliser.

A point to savour: Nenad Mirosavljevic 逮捕するs the equaliser

In between, there were wonderful goals for Essien and Didier Drogba but Essien’s 傷害 will be the greatest 関心. He definitely 行方不明になるs Saturday’s game against Everton.

Chelsea’s squad may not yet look やめる as 使い果たすd as Manchester 部隊d’s but the 負わせる of fixtures is taking its （死傷者）数 and players will be lost to the Africa Cup of Nations at the end of this month. Salomon Kalo u is out for two weeks with a thigh 傷害 and Ancelotti 残り／休憩（する）d Michael Ballack, Ashley Cole and Alex, who were all nursing slight aches and 緊張するs.

Petr Cech was 取って代わるd by Ross Turnbull, making his 十分な debut and 選ぶing the ball out of the 逮捕する after only six minutes. John Terry 宣言するd himself fit にもかかわらず a 削減（する） on his 膝 but his 支援する four started shakily.

Turnbull had already been 軍隊d into one save before Constantinos Charalambides darted 負かす／撃墜する APOEL’s left and crossed low for Marcin Zewlakow to 得点する／非難する／２０.

Caught 冷淡な: Zewlakow stuns Chelsea 早期に on

After 10 連続する clean sheets at Stamford 橋（渡しをする）, it was the first goal 譲歩するd by Chelsea at home in 968 minutes. The previous one was 得点する／非難する／２０d by Stephen 追跡（する） for 船体 in August.

Ancelotti’s team, who won Group D with a victory in Porto two weeks ago, woke up once they went behind. Joe Cole thought he had levelled within five minutes, leaping at the 近づく 地位，任命する to 長，率いる in Florent Malouda’s cross, but it was disallowed for offside.

The 決定／判定勝ち（する） looked ごくわずかの but Essien stepped 今後 to 粉砕する in the equaliser. The Ghanaian collected a short pass in midfield, 味方する-stepped a defender and 抑えるのをやめるd a 25-yarder which took a slight deflection and swerved past Dionisios Chiotis.

Level pegging: Michael Essien 回復するs parity

Unfortunately, it was Essien’s last 重要な 出資／貢献. He 負傷させるd his hamstring moments later and hobbled off in 苦痛.

Chelsea went ahead with 10 men as the （法廷の）裁判 hurriedly 用意が出来ている to send on Frank Lampard. Drogba finished a 悪賢い passing move 伴う／関わるing Gael Kakuta and Yuri Zhirkov with his 16th goal in 20 games this season. Not bad for a player who doesn’t do a lot, によれば Arsene Wenger.

原因（となる） for 関心: Essien hobbles off

Kakuta, also making his 十分な debut, impressed with his footwork and 見通し. Chelsea are 存在 careful not to over-expose the French 18-year-old, who has 設立する himself at the centre of 論争 since FIFA 課すd a 移転 禁止（する） on Chelsea for 新採用するing him 不法に.

The 禁止（する） has been 一時停止するd 未解決の an 控訴，上告 next year but Kakuta’s talent 命令（する）s attention.

He was 結局 取って代わるd by Italian 十代の少年少女 Fabio Borini, who also looked sharp. Cole and Malouda went の近くに as Chelsea wasted chances for a thir d and slowly the 勢い swung 支援する to APOEL, who needed a 勝利，勝つ to qualify for the Europa League.

Mikel must take the 非難する for the late equaliser. He controlled a short pass from Terry and tried to return the ball to his captain, only to leave it short.

Mirosavljevic burst on to the error, 非難する into the 刑罰，罰則 area before 運動ing a 発射 under? Turnbull’s dive.

APOEL’s noisy 支持者s tried to 元気づける their team on to a 勝利者 and Zhirkov had to make a? desperate 通関手続き／一掃 in 停止 time to 妨げる another 敗北・負かす.