JustChelsea.com

Arsene Wenger and Sam Allardyce always seems to be a grudge match, and yesterdays game started early with the insults flying in left, right and centre during the week, but Wenger got the last laugh when his Arsenal took the points in a 2-1 win.

Wenger admitted that it wasn’t an easy win. He said: “We were a bit lucky at some stages but overall we showed really good commitment.

The Man Utd manager Alex Ferguson all but conceded defeat in the race for the Pemiership title after watching his misfiring team only manage a draw at Blackburn yesterday.

“I think the title has slipped away from us today,” Fergie said. “It is going to be very difficult to win this league. We have a lifeline if Chelsea blow it, but to my eyes they have an easy game against Bolton.

The Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti saw his second string team beaten on penalties by Blackburn last night, and was not too disappointed considering that they had to play the last 20 minutes with ten men.

A highly experimental side, containing just three players that had faced Arsenal at the weekend, were 1-0 down to a Kalinic goal at half-time, and Ancelotti changed it again in the second half when he brought on Drogba, Kakuta and Bruma after the break.

The Chelsea assistant manager (and interpreter) Ray Wilkins, says that there will be changes for tonights League Cup match against Blackburn, but insists the players understand the reasons behind Carlo Ancelotti’s rotations, and are more than happy to accept his decisions.

“It’s an either-or,” Wilkins says. “If some of the guys don’t actually get on the pitch then that become slightly difficult as well. It becomes a sort of Catch 22, but the rotation decisions Carlo has made have been first class.

The Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo has admitted that he wants Blackburn to beat Chelsea this weekend, and would ideally like to stay at Ewood Park for the forseeable future.

The Argentinian youngster has built up a great relationship with Big Sam, who has told him that he will do his utmost to try and persuade Chelsea to make the loan move into a permanent deal.

With the onset of winter, it looks like Swine Flu is now spreading like wildfire. The Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce lost Christopher Samba and David Dunn on Saturday to the Flu before they played Chelsea this weekend, and he believes that clubs should have the right to call off games if their squad is adversely affected.

Whether the 5-0 scoreline would have been reduced if they had played is a matter of conjecture, but Allardyce has raged against the Premier League, and accused them of ruling against the postponement of games because of an outbreak.

The Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole played his first game for the Blues in eight months to a rousing reception from the fans, and he didn’t disappoint them. All his old tricks were on show as he mesmerised the Blackburn defence as Chelsea went on to win 5-0, and it could easily have been much more.

This was the first time that Ancelotti had seen Cole in competitive action, and he was extremely pleased with his contribution, and very happy with the team as a whole.

The Blackburn manager, Sam Allardyce, didn’t have any good words for his team after their 5-0 defeat to Chelsea, and bemoaned the team’s lack of understanding, especially in the second half.

“The second half was pathetic,” said Allardyce. “I didn’t see that coming, I felt we had set our stall out to frustrate Chelsea and it worked very well in the first half.

Chelsea face Blackburn today hoping to keep up their 100% home record this season. They have only conceded one goal at the Bridge all season, and the 2-0 win against Liverpool a fortnight ago just showed how confident they are on their home turf.

After losing, unluckily, at Aston Villa last weekend, they bounced back with a 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in midweek. Salomon Kalou contributed two goals that night, but with Didier Drogba certain to be picked after his suspension on Wednesday, it is 50/50 as to whether Kalou will be Drogba’s partner ahead of Nicolas Anelka.

The Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole is close to full recovery from his cruciate ligament and cartilage surgery, and believes he is ready to play a part in the first team again, but he is not wanting to rush into things.

“I don’t want to put pressure on myself.” he said. “When I am coming back in, I just try to do what I can. It might be the day when I have a good game, or I might need a few more games to reach my level. I played one game already against QPR, a good game, and I am in a position now where I know it is coming, and it might be today.”