Its over .... bar the shouting

Chelsea 1 - 1 Wigan

There's a reason why a match lasts 90 mins (...and change) - its because to win, you normally have to play for 90mins (and change).

The first half of tonights game was the worst, dullest, most lifeless and soul destroying 45mins I've seen in a long time. A game that demanded urgency and an early strike (or two) to settle the nerves had nothing of the sort. Anelka (starting ahead of drogba) should have scored at least once from two headed chances - one free header from 6yards out and another looping effort that was denied by an athletic save from Chris kirkland - but aside from that the first half was woeful. Kalou and Malouda (awful) started up alongside Anelka and Alex and Bridge came in for Cole and Carvallio. Lamps left during the warm up (due to personal reasons) so the mid three were Jedi, Ballack and Ess. Zorro (as CechWigan .... but not so.

The second half changed dramatically with the introduction of Joe Cole replacing the hapless Malouda and he could have scored twice inside the first 5 mins. JT vollied against the crossbar and then Kirkland brilliantly saved from Kalou shot before Ess drove home from an Anelka lay back on 55 minutes. It should have been all over as the chances kept coming. Alex, Ballack and Joe Cole all missed good chances - Alex bring another great save from Kirkland - and yous started to get the sense that things were not going to end well for the Blues as Wigan kept pressing. Sheva had been warming up for the last 15mins at least before, with 92 mins on the clock, Heskey vollied home a Koumas's cross to leave our tiltle hopes in tatters. To make matters worse, AG brought Sheva on with 30 seconds of the added 3mins to go - if he'd have done that even 3 minutes earlier it might have disrupted Wigans flow - complete nightmare !!

Now a win at Everton, on Thursday is essential and Man U(re) need to slip up big style .... an in reality, playing like this (for 45mins at a time) we don't even deserve to be second.