Diouf 70     Drogba 6

Chelsea ended a difficult week third in the EPL after drawing a game at Blackburn which they had controlled comfortably for an hour.

The Blues are four points behind Manchester United, as far from the EPL summit as they have been all season, although they have a game in hand.

They were unfortunate to concede almost directly from an incorrectly awarded throw-in but they should have driven home the advantage when they had it.

They were ahead on five minutes, Didier Drogba supplying a rare left-footed finish to Nicolas Anelka’s pull-back from the right-hand goal-line.

But they created few clear-cut chances despite their territorial dominance, and were made to pay on 70 minutes.

Rovers substitute Jason Roberts knocked the ball out of play under challenge from Chelsea captain John Terry.

But the throw went to Rovers and was fed to Spanish full-back Michel Salgado whose far-post cross from the right was headed home by El-Hadji Diouf.

Determined defending kept Chelsea at bay in a frantic last ten minutes. Drogba’s fierce goalbound drive from a short corner by substitute Deco was headed clear by Keith Andrews on 87 minutes

And that was the closest they came to snatching a late victory.