BlueLion.

I also bet Wenger will say "I didn't see it" in regards to the Terry head injury.

I tell you what, zolayes, I reckon Robben will cross for Drogba to head home the winner. I'll put a tenner on it.

Thanks for reading!

Didier Drogba scored a quick-fire brace to hand Chelsea the three points in a keenly-fought London derby. The Ivorian poked home from close range after just seven minutes to give Chelsea the lead before capping off a fine counter-attack with a lethal finish inside the area. A win means Chelsea return to the top of the Premier League table after Manchester United put five past a beleaguered Portsmouth side at Old Trafford. But with the returning Drogba and Mikel starting, Carlo Ancelotti's men were quietly confident about completing a first Premier League double over Arsenal since 2006 - the last season Chelsea won the title. The hosts put in a sensational team performance to deny Arsene Wenger's young side time and again, with inspirational skipper John Terry a stand-out performer at the heart of the Chelsea defence. Arsenal were resolute and showed tremendous resolve to dominate much of the game, but with Petr Cech returning to form and his defence imperious, Chelsea were not to be denied and held out for a famous victory. With allegations of his private life still very much making both the front and back pages of the tabloids, there will be some reconciliation for John Terry, who ends a tortuous week having set up Drogba's first goal. And Terry celebrated at the final whistle in his trademark style; beating his first against his chest in an act of pure defiance. Mass public criticism led to Fabio Capello stripping Terry of the England captaincy, but the banner at the Matthew Harding Stand remains for all to see - John Terry, Captain, Leader, Legend. But the Blues skipper was just one of a number of heroes across the pitch for Chelsea, who denied and contained Arsenal with a fabulous rearguard action. Chelsea started brightly in a vociferous atmosphere generated by the Blues faithful, and took an early lead from Florent Malouda's corner. Some criminally poor Arsenal marking allowed John Terry to head the ball across the face of goal to the unmarked Drogba, who, after shaking off the attentions of Alex Song, poked past a stranded Manuel Almunia to give the hosts the lead with just seven minutes on the clock. Arsenal's response, however, was resolute and mature, and but for Petr Cech, the Gunners would have restored parity through Andrei Arshavin. Cesc Fabregas' clever chip into the box was fired goalwards first time by the Russian, but the legs of the Czech goalkeeper foiled the Arsenal forward. Didier Drogba celebrates his second goal. And Arshavin was made to pay for his guilt-edged miss when Drogba clinically sent the Chelsea crowd into raptures with a delightful second. Lampard robbed the ball and played it to Drogba, who went past Gael Clichy with frightening ease before finishing. It might have been three had the Arsenal goalkeeper not denied Ashley Cole a goal against his former club, but for all of Arsenal's possession, they were crafting only a handful of openings before ultimately being shut out by Terry and company. But a much-improved performance in the second half by the visitors will leave much room for optimism in Arsene Wenger's side as his team penned Chelsea inside their own half - but it was the hosts who came closest to finding the net; Lampard's flick saved by Almunia. Arsenal were cranking up the pressure but Chelsea's defence was up to the mark, with Ashley Cole making a fine saving challenge to block Nasri the one time Arsenal truly carved Chelsea's resilient defence open. Beating Petr Cech, however, was proving difficult for the North London side. With rumours about his Chelsea future spread across the back pages of many a tabloid newspaper, the Czech was in formidable form as he silenced his doubters with a sublime performance. Having commanded his area with relative assurance all game, the Czech excelled himself to save Fabregas' clever low freekick, and then pawed away a dangerous cross before substitute Nicklas Bendtner could make contact. The visiting supports lit a bright red flare in the away end, but a superb rearguard performance looks to have extinguished Arsenal's title hopes once and for all. Drogba then hit the crossbar with an incredible freekick that had the Arsenal goalkeeper rooted to the spot as he looked for his dream hattrick against the team he had supported as a boy, but both defences stood firm. There was time left for the Ivorian to take his plaudits as he received a standing ovation as he made way for the returning Kalou. The industrious Anelka and Ballack were also withdrawn to choruses of appreciation, but the greatest cheer was for John Terry, who threw his shirt into the Matthew Harding Lower before celebrating with his adoring fans. He may be disgraced, but his Chelsea continue to march on. ___________________________________________________________________ Chelsea FC: Cech; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry ©, A Cole; Ballack (Zhirkov), Mikel, Lampard; Anelka (J Cole), Malouda; Drogba (Kalou) Arsenal: Almunia; Sagna (Eboue), Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy; Fabregas ©, Song, Diaby (Rosicky); Walcott (Bendtner), Arshavin, Nasri The TalkChelsea.net Man of the Match was Chelsea's number 12 - John Mikel Obi

Leave TX alone. If you forgot, we just gave the Gunners a kick up the Arse! Let's keep it friendly people, we've all said things in the heat of the moment. But for the record, our result at Hull looks fucking brilliant after Citeh lost there yesterday!!

Chelsea vs Cardiff City FA Cup, 13 February 2010, Stamford Bridge, 1200 KO Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea host Cardiff City in the FA Cup Fifth Round. MATCH CHAT HERE

Everton vs Chelsea FAPL, 10 February 2010, Goodison Park, 2000 KO Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea travel to Merseyside for a bout with Everton. Having beaten Arsenal 2-0 in their last match, Chelsea head to Goodison Park to face David Moyes' in-form Everton in a tasty-looking top half encounter. The Blues are in delicious form, and their victory over Arsene Wenger's side has seen them open up a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League table. However, Chelsea have not recorded a Premier League victory over Everton since April 2008 when Michael Essien's fine strike settled a tight encounter as Chelsea sought to chase down Manchester United. Three successive draws in the league have followed, including a 3-3 stalemate earlier in the season at Stamford Bridge. However, with the return to form of Didier Drogba, coupled with Everton's loss in the Merseyside derby, will see the Toffees second-favourites in this encounter - but can Chelsea get the job done? MATCH CHAT HERE

Cech was fucking sensational. I know it was only one match but he appears a lot more confident. His body language was massively positive; coming from crosses and being far more vocal than he usually is. Some top saves too; delighted for him, he's certainly raised his game. In fact, I think everyone raised their game today. After all this crap about JT it appears the boys all rallied around him. I know this comment is probably fuelled by adrenaline but I honestly think that is the best defensive performance I've ever seen us put in; easily on-par with the Barcelona away game last season. As said above, Cech was colossal, Ivanovic and Ashley Cole were imperious. Carvalho, bar the odd cynical tackle, was brilliant as well. Terry was phenomenal. Different class. Lampard and Anelka - a lot of people will say they were quiet - but they did brilliantly amongst all that Arsenal pressure. They pressed and covered and put in brilliant shifts. Ballack worked hard, Malouda was tireless, and Joe and Yuri also worked hard during their little cameo appearances, keeping Arsenal's defence under some pressure. But the two star men, for me, were Mikel and Drogba. I don't need to say anything about Didier - he was phenomenal. But Mikel was absolutely sensational in the holding role. I'd go as far as saying that's his best ever performance for us. All-round, one of the best team performances since I started supporting the Blues back in 1997. Very proud to be wearing Chelsea blue (well, yellow, actually) at the minute. Carefree.

Someone's gonna have to report Drogba to social services if he keeps hurting Arsenal like this. And can I just say that Mikel and Terry have been fucking fantastic.

Me too, after Drogba nutmegs him for Chelsea's ninth goal Being realistic, I think we have every chance of winning this. Form goes out of the window in derby games, but I think the way results have been going for us recently we're going to be in pretty confident mood. That being said, Arsenal will be in a mood to avenge their defeat at the Emirates to United on Saturday, and after taking two batterings in a row against us (4-1 and 3-0), they're going to have a point to prove. I can't see Arshavin or Bendtner causing Terry and Carvalho too many problems but we still have to be wary of the way they pass the ball. Ashley and Branislav need to have big games today; they are key to our attacking success but can't afford to neglect their defensive duties. 2-1 to the Chels for me.

Terry to make it 1-0 Ashley Cole to make it 2-0 Drogba to make it 3-0 Gallas own-goal to make it 4-0 I can dream

My view on the situation: http://www.talkchelsea.net/captain-Leader-Legend.html

Fucking epic.

This is the perfect boost for the club, and for the players, following the press focus on John Terry. Maybe now tabloid space will be dedicated to bullshit linking us and City to every player on earth, rather than slagging off the England captain.

I think he's a very good signing. He hasn't scored the goals some people were expecting, but considering this is his first year at the club - a year plagued by injuries - I think he's actually been very good indeed. He puts himself about and looks a lively left winger, whilst being more than capable at deputising at left back when Ashley Cole is injured. He can play in the attack or defence in the 4-1-2-1-2 or the 4-3-2-1, and that sort of versatility as a midfielder is hard to come across.

I agree with Shane's point in the above post, but that's no reason to call someone a tool. As much as it made me laugh. Keep it friendly folks I'm partial towards Mikel. When he's on-form, he's brilliant. He is very good at breaking up attacks; he just lacks the same forward prowess of Essien. Nevertheless, he could be as good as Makelele in my opinion. He has the strength and pace to cope in the middle of the park, he is a good tackler and has an eye for a good pass. I think he needs to work on his attacking game, though, we do lack some creativity when he plays the holding role, whereas Deco, Ballack or Essien would roam forward.

Justice is done. The club were very confident that they had not committed any wrongdoings; seems they were right.

As far as I'm concerned, I wish Cardiff the very best of luck. I really admire the honesty of Dave Jones, and think on the whole you have a decent squad. It'd be great to see an old-fashioned cup-tie between the two teams. Of course I want the Blues to win, but you've got to have a bit of romance in the FA Cup!

Didier Drogba scored on his return to the Chelsea side, but could not prevent his side from drawing with Hull.. The Premier League leaders had the opportunity to increase their lead of Manchester United at the top of the table to four points, but instead their advantage is an advantage of just two points. And with Chelsea hosting Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the Blues may find themselves behind the Red Devils should Sir Alex Ferguson's side beat struggling Portsmouth at Old Trafford the day beforehand. Steven Mouyokolo headed past a beleaguered Petr Cech as Hull took advantage of some lackadaisical Chelsea defending, but Drogba responded with a trademark freekick to level matters before the half time break. But Hull - undone by a speculative Drogba effort in second half stoppage time earlier in the season - defended manfully, and a below-par Chelsea were incapable of breaking down their hosts for large periods of the match. The few opportunities crafted by Carlo Ancelotti's side were either wasted or denied by the superb Boaz Myhill, who must take the plaudits for a commanding performance. Chelsea were wasteful with their passing and their performance suggested over-confidence and complacency. Nevertheless, Chelsea will be grateful for the point - they were outplayed for large periods of the game and despite considerable pressure and possession, they were not particularly adept at converting their few-and-far-between chances. The return to action of Drogba will be one positive to take from the performance, as well as Ashley Cole's cameo appearance from the bench after initially being considered a doubt for the game at the KC Stadium. But there is no doubt that the off-field circumstances involving captain John Terry have affected the team's mentality, with two below-par performances within the space of four days. Terry's late header papered the cracks against Burnley, but there was no excuse for a poor team showing all-round. Under-fire Chelsea captain John Terry will not be helped by a poor individual and team performances. Chelsea were limited to speculative efforts for much of the game; Frank Lampard's 35-yarder the pick of the chances, forcing a smart save out of the excellent Myhill. The best chance the visitors crafted early on was headed straight at the Hull keeper by Michael Ballack after a magnificent cross by Branislav Ivanovic. Of the nineteen league goals Chelsea have conceded this season before the game, fourteen had come from set pieces, and the visitors struggled to deal with Hull's dead-ball situations throughout the game. It was no surprise, therefore, that their twentieth came from the head of Mouyokolo, who took full advantage on the half hour as he headed Stephen Hunt's corner past a stranded Petr Cech. Hunt was proving an effective, tireless outlet for the home side, but Chelsea soon equalised. Nicolas Anelka was hacked down on the edge of box after passing to Lampard, who was blatantly tripped in the area. The referee awarded the freekick, however, but justice was delivered as Drogba side-footed into the bottom corner with unerring accuracy. It was to be one of the few positive moments from a Chelsea perspective - their defensive frailties were again underlined moments before the break when Anthony Gardner headed over unmarked in front of goal. After the interval, Cech had to be at his best to deal with a number of troubling deliveries from Hunt, whilst at the other end Myhill excelled to first deny Drogba and then Terry with a sprawling double save. And just as Chelsea began to improve as the match moved towards a tense conclusion, substitute Sturridge found Myhill in inspired form as he parried away a dipping volley from the young ex-Manchester City forward. Even the introduction of the Coles; in-form Ashley and ever-improving Joe, could not inspire Chelsea, who appeared to be almost arrogant in their approach play. There were poor performances across the pitch; Drogba, Ivanovic, Yuri Zhirkov and Deco should be the only players awarded credit amongst the Chelsea ranks. On the other hand, Hull were massively impressive - young midfielder Tom Cairney in particular, and their draw was fully warranted. Unlike at Stamford Bridge on the opening day, there was to be no stoppage time winner from Chelsea's talismanic striker. Instead, Carlo Ancelotti will feel this is a massive opportunity missed by his team. A better performance will be required for the visit of Arsenal on Sunday. The Blues demolished Arsene Wenger's team 3-0 at the Emirates in November, but a repeat of that scoreline seems highly unlikely on evidence of this showing. ___________________________________________________________________ Hull: Myhill , McShane (Zayatte), Gardner ©, Mouyokolo, Dawson; Fagan, Boateng, Cairney, Hunt; Altidore (Kilbane), Vennegoor (Zaki) Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry ©, Zhirkov (A Cole); Deco, Ballack (J Cole), Lampard; Malouda, Anelka (Sturridge); Drogba. The TalkChelsea.net Man of the Match was Hull City's 45, Tom Cairney

Cheers

So, Ferreira, Alex, Carvalho, Cole in defence, against Arshavin and company. Good luck, boys.

And just to let you know, if the five yellow cards = a suspension rule is still in effect, Ivanovic and Terry miss the Arsenal game.

Drogba returns and we drop points. Ironic. Disappointing result, disgraceful performance. Complacent, arrogant, lethargic.

Looks like he'll stay on as England captain then. Capello and Terry are on very close terms.

Drop Carvalho and play Ivan CB in my opinion!