FA Cup Q-Final : Chelsea 3 Tottenham 3
Chelsea produced a sensational second-half fightback to keep their FA Cup dreams alive in a remarkable six-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea had looked down and out at half-time after they trailed 3-1 to a vibrant Tottenham side.
But second-half goals from Frank Lampard and substitute Salomon Kalou earned them a 3-3 draw and a replay at White Hart Lane against the odds.
Tottenham were on the brink of becoming only the second side to beat Chelsea in normal time at Stamford Bridge since February 2004 thanks to a first-half display that stunned the Barclays Premiership champions.
Dimitar Berbatov shocked Chelsea by putting Spurs in front in the fifth minute but that was cancelled out by Lampard 17 minutes later.
But an own goal by Michael Essien in the 28th minute restored Tottenham's advantage and Spurs cemented a terrific opening 45 minutes with a third goal through Hossam Ghaly eight minutes later.
The Blues were given a wake-up call within five minutes when Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon linked up on the edge of the penalty area.
The England winger slipped the ball to Dimitar Berbatov and the Spurs striker hammered a volley beyond Petr Cech for the opener.
While Chelsea threatened to get back into the game, it was Spurs who remained more of a threat.
They almost bagged a second when Paul Stalteri robbed Arjen Robben and set up Berbatov. However, the Bulgarian chose to cross for Defoe instead of shooting himself and the chance went begging.
Spurs paid for the failure to take that opportunity when England midfielder Lampard equalised in the 22nd minute.
Tottenham were, for the first time in the game, caught out by a neat move from the English champions.
Didier Drogba's cross was chested down by Andriy Shevchenko and when Michael Ballack sent the ball back towards the six-yard box, Lampard pounced to turn it past Radek Cerny.
But Spurs shocked Chelsea with a second goal a minute later when the unfortunately Essien turned a cross from Lennon past Cech and into his own net.
The goal was completely against the run of play but it put the north London side back in control.
The game was turning into a classic FA Cup tie and Stalteri had to clear off the line in the 32nd minute to prevent Chelsea from equalising for a second time.
Chelsea were clearly intent on hauling themselves back into the game and Lampard was unlucky in the 47th minute when his shot was saved by Cerny.
In the 49th minute, Stalteri was booked for bringing down Robben in full flight on the edge of the penalty area but the champions failed to make the most of the free-kick opportunity.
But Spurs were denied a fourth in the 51st minute when Cech saved superbly from Lennon and then Defoe within a matter of seconds.
The Blues were clearly rattled and in the 56th minute Diarra was replaced by Khalid Boulahrouz. Chelsea continued with a three-man defence but his arrival allowed Essien to return to his normal midfield role.
It was going to take a comeback of spectacular proportions for Chelsea to rescue themselves from the brink of FA Cup elimination.
Salomon Kalou was Mourinho's last throw of the dice and he replaced Cole in the 63rd minute.
Chelsea required a goal if they were going to give themselves any hope of recovering the situation and stand-in captain Lampard duly provided them with a lifeline in the 71st minute.
Spurs failed to deal with a Chelsea corner and when Drogba lost control of the ball inside the six-yard box, it fell kindly for Lampard to drill home.
The goal set up a frantic climax to a thrilling cup tie and Essien was inches away from an equaliser when he sent a 25-yard shot just past Cerny's right-hand upright in the 80th minute.
But substitute Kalou capped their fightback in style when he volleyed the equaliser in the 85th minute.
Yet Spurs could have won it three minutes later when Defoe burst clear of the Chelsea defence but the England striker smashed his effort against the bar to leave a stirring cup-tie all square
Chelsea had looked down and out at half-time after they trailed 3-1 to a vibrant Tottenham side.
But second-half goals from Frank Lampard and substitute Salomon Kalou earned them a 3-3 draw and a replay at White Hart Lane against the odds.
Tottenham were on the brink of becoming only the second side to beat Chelsea in normal time at Stamford Bridge since February 2004 thanks to a first-half display that stunned the Barclays Premiership champions.
Dimitar Berbatov shocked Chelsea by putting Spurs in front in the fifth minute but that was cancelled out by Lampard 17 minutes later.
But an own goal by Michael Essien in the 28th minute restored Tottenham's advantage and Spurs cemented a terrific opening 45 minutes with a third goal through Hossam Ghaly eight minutes later.
The Blues were given a wake-up call within five minutes when Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon linked up on the edge of the penalty area.
The England winger slipped the ball to Dimitar Berbatov and the Spurs striker hammered a volley beyond Petr Cech for the opener.
While Chelsea threatened to get back into the game, it was Spurs who remained more of a threat.
They almost bagged a second when Paul Stalteri robbed Arjen Robben and set up Berbatov. However, the Bulgarian chose to cross for Defoe instead of shooting himself and the chance went begging.
Spurs paid for the failure to take that opportunity when England midfielder Lampard equalised in the 22nd minute.
Tottenham were, for the first time in the game, caught out by a neat move from the English champions.
Didier Drogba's cross was chested down by Andriy Shevchenko and when Michael Ballack sent the ball back towards the six-yard box, Lampard pounced to turn it past Radek Cerny.
But Spurs shocked Chelsea with a second goal a minute later when the unfortunately Essien turned a cross from Lennon past Cech and into his own net.
The goal was completely against the run of play but it put the north London side back in control.
The game was turning into a classic FA Cup tie and Stalteri had to clear off the line in the 32nd minute to prevent Chelsea from equalising for a second time.
Chelsea were clearly intent on hauling themselves back into the game and Lampard was unlucky in the 47th minute when his shot was saved by Cerny.
In the 49th minute, Stalteri was booked for bringing down Robben in full flight on the edge of the penalty area but the champions failed to make the most of the free-kick opportunity.
But Spurs were denied a fourth in the 51st minute when Cech saved superbly from Lennon and then Defoe within a matter of seconds.
The Blues were clearly rattled and in the 56th minute Diarra was replaced by Khalid Boulahrouz. Chelsea continued with a three-man defence but his arrival allowed Essien to return to his normal midfield role.
It was going to take a comeback of spectacular proportions for Chelsea to rescue themselves from the brink of FA Cup elimination.
Salomon Kalou was Mourinho's last throw of the dice and he replaced Cole in the 63rd minute.
Chelsea required a goal if they were going to give themselves any hope of recovering the situation and stand-in captain Lampard duly provided them with a lifeline in the 71st minute.
Spurs failed to deal with a Chelsea corner and when Drogba lost control of the ball inside the six-yard box, it fell kindly for Lampard to drill home.
The goal set up a frantic climax to a thrilling cup tie and Essien was inches away from an equaliser when he sent a 25-yard shot just past Cerny's right-hand upright in the 80th minute.
But substitute Kalou capped their fightback in style when he volleyed the equaliser in the 85th minute.
Yet Spurs could have won it three minutes later when Defoe burst clear of the Chelsea defence but the England striker smashed his effort against the bar to leave a stirring cup-tie all square
posted by dgarden at 2:09 pm
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