Hull 1-1 Chelsea

[BlueLion. 21,491]

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