Southend fight back stuns Chelsea
AFP - Luiz Felipe Scolari was given a dramatic introduction to the FA Cup as his Premier League giants were held to a 1-1 draw by League One side Southend at Stamford Bridge here Saturday.
The Blues, second in the top flight, had looked to be cruising into the fourth round until Peter Clarke headed the Shrimpers, who play in the third-tier of English football, level in injury time.
Chelsea, who had lost ground to Liverpool in the Premier League in recent weeks after draws with West Ham, Everton and Fulham, took a first half-lead thanks to Saloman Kalou''s header.
And they squandered chance after chance to leave manager Scolari nursing another headache.
Scolari was without suspended captain John Terry, who watched this match from the stands while he serves the final game of his ban. But the Brazilian, did field a strong side for his first taste of FA Cup action.
With Terry and Michael Ballack suspended, Scolari recalled Ricardo Carvalho for his first start since October after recovering from a knee injury, while Juliano Belletti was preferred in midfield.
Only goalkeeper Petr Cech was rested as Carlo Cudicini took the Czech international''s place between the sticks for what was Chelsea''s opening match of this season''s FA Cup.
Alex and Florent Malouda missed out with hamstring injuries and Nicolas Anelka had to settle for a place on the bench.
It was Chelsea who had the first shot at goal through Frank Lampard but the England midfielder''s free-kick was way off target.
But it proved to be an early warning sign for Southend of things to come as Joe Cole''s incisive pass almost played in Didier Drogba.
The France striker was then denied a clear shot at goal in the ninth minute by an excellent recovery tackle from Osei Sankofa.
Joe Cole and Lampard had further chances to break the deadlock, all within the opening 15 minutes.
Chelsea, however, continued to squander their chances.
Ashley Cole had a clear shot at goal yet fired at Steve Mildenhall, while Drogba poked another effort wide of the post from eight yards.
It was only a matter of time before the pressure told and Salomon Kalou made it count when he headed in from Lampard''s corner in the 31st minute.
In the second-half Southend continued to work hard and enjoyed a good spell of possession.
The passed the ball around neatly at times but too often lost their
concentration at the crucial time.
While their attackers could be accused of losing their focus, the same could not be said of Southend''s defence.
Wave after wave of Chelsea pressure would have taken its toll on Premier League defenders, but still the Shrimpers - led by captain Adam Barrett - kept them at bay.
Belletti must have thought he''d finally doubled Chelsea''s advantage in the 67th minute when he connected with Lampard''s corner. Yet he was denied by teenager Johnny Herd who clear off the line at the near post.
Southend manager Steve Tilson made three changes all at the same time to boost his battle weary side as they pressed for an equaliser.
Despite the introduction of veteran striker Dougie Freedman, it was Clarke who was the unlikely goal hero.
The defender came close when he connected with Herd''s cross in the 84th minute but his header agonisingly dropped onto the crossbar and bounced over.
Chelsea failed to heed that warning and minutes later Clarke was on target with a header to earn Southend a replay and leave Chelsea regretting their missed opportunities.