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Dull win for Chelsea over Bolton Wanderers
London, Apr 13: Chelsea played out a lacklustre 1-0 home win over lowly Bolton Wanderers.
London, Apr 13: Chelsea played out a lacklustre 1-0 home win over lowly Bolton Wanderers.
Chelsea made all the running at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (April 12) in a dull game enlivened only by the efforts of 19-year-old striker Carlton Cole. Early in the first half he broke through the Bolton defence and his cross bounced off a defender to Frank Lampard, whose shot was easily saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen, keeping a clean sheet in five hours of play.
Chelsea's Italian veteran and contender for player of the season Gianfranco Zola -- who is now 36 -- shot well, but Jaaskelainen just managed to catch the ball at the second attempt.
Cole latched onto a great cross by Dutch midfielder Boudewijn Zenden, but could only tap the ball over the bar. By halftime, Chelsea chairman Ken Bates had little to smile about.
But not long after the restart, Zenden sent a long ball through to Cole, who stumbled as he went through a defender but recovered enough to round Jaaskelainen for the only goal of the match.
Bolton's Finnish 'keeper did well to keep the score at that, diving low to block a Lampard shot, with the rebound going to Zola, who could only hit the side netting. Right at the end Bolton threw the ball into the Chelsea goalmouth and in the ensuing scramble the Blues' John Terry had to clear from the line -- much to the irritation of Bolton manager and former player Sam Allardyce. Bolton are fourth from bottom.
Chelsea 1 - Carlton Cole 58 Bolton Wanderers 0 Half time: 0-0; Attendance: 39,852
Premier league standings: P W D L F A Pts 1. Manchester United 33 21 7 5 61 29 70 2. Arsenal 32 20 7 5 67 34 67 3. Newcastle United 33 19 4 10 57 43 61 4. Chelsea 33 17 9 7 60 32 60 5. Everton 33 16 8 9 43 38 56 6. Liverpool 33 15 10 8 49 35 55 7. Blackburn Rovers 33 14 10 9 43 37 52 8. Tottenham Hotspur 33 13 8 12 47 47 47 9. Middlesbrough 33 12 10 11 42 35 46 10. Charlton Athletic 33 13 7 13 41 46 46 11. Southampton 32 11 12 9 35 33 45 12. Manchester City 33 12 6 15 25 24 42 13. Leeds United 33 11 5 17 46 48 38 14. Aston Villa 33 10 8 15 36 40 38 15. Fulham 33 10 8 15 35 46 38 16. Birmingham City 33 10 8 15 31 44 38 17. Bolton Wanderers 33 8 11 14 36 48 35 18. West Ham United 33 7 11 15 37 56 32 19. West Bromwich Albion 33 5 6 22 22 52 21 20. Sunderland 33 4 7 22 20 54 19
Bureau Report
Bolton's Finnish 'keeper did well to keep the score at that, diving low to block a Lampard shot, with the rebound going to Zola, who could only hit the side netting. Right at the end Bolton threw the ball into the Chelsea goalmouth and in the ensuing scramble the Blues' John Terry had to clear from the line -- much to the irritation of Bolton manager and former player Sam Allardyce. Bolton are fourth from bottom.
Chelsea 1 - Carlton Cole 58 Bolton Wanderers 0 Half time: 0-0; Attendance: 39,852
Premier league standings: P W D L F A Pts 1. Manchester United 33 21 7 5 61 29 70 2. Arsenal 32 20 7 5 67 34 67 3. Newcastle United 33 19 4 10 57 43 61 4. Chelsea 33 17 9 7 60 32 60 5. Everton 33 16 8 9 43 38 56 6. Liverpool 33 15 10 8 49 35 55 7. Blackburn Rovers 33 14 10 9 43 37 52 8. Tottenham Hotspur 33 13 8 12 47 47 47 9. Middlesbrough 33 12 10 11 42 35 46 10. Charlton Athletic 33 13 7 13 41 46 46 11. Southampton 32 11 12 9 35 33 45 12. Manchester City 33 12 6 15 25 24 42 13. Leeds United 33 11 5 17 46 48 38 14. Aston Villa 33 10 8 15 36 40 38 15. Fulham 33 10 8 15 35 46 38 16. Birmingham City 33 10 8 15 31 44 38 17. Bolton Wanderers 33 8 11 14 36 48 35 18. West Ham United 33 7 11 15 37 56 32 19. West Bromwich Albion 33 5 6 22 22 52 21 20. Sunderland 33 4 7 22 20 54 19
Bureau Report