Chelsea suffered a stumble in the title race that could yet prove
fatal to their chances of taking the Premier League crown to round
off a week of bitter disappointment for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
• Ancelotti: Title is harder now
A match that seemed there for the taking after Didier Drogba's
early goal somehow drifted out of Chelsea's grasp. El Hadji Diouf
headed a superb equaliser as Blackburn put in such a powerful second-half
performance that keeper Jason Brown was barely tested.
For Chelsea, whose record in their past nine matches is now four
wins, four defeats and one draw, this was hardly a display of title-winning
credentials and they are now four points behind Manchester United
and two behind Arsenal, though with a game in hand.
This was underlined by the fact that the clear man of the match
was none other than Rovers' 18-year-old central defender Phil Jones,
making his league debut and up against Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce had gambled on him in the absence
of Ryan Nelsen and Gael Givet. That gamble may have seen rash as
Drogba carved out an early chance for himself, dinking a neat curling
shot just wide of the post despite being surrounded by a posse of
defenders.
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