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Saturday, 30 March, 2002, 16:58 GMT
Chelsea defeat battling Derby
![]() Chelsea celebrate Terry's (centre) opener
Chelsea 2-1 Derby
E-mail your reaction to Football Talk Chelsea grabbed a golden opportunity to leapfrog Leeds into fifth place in the Premiership with a vital win at Stamford Bridge. Blues' substitute John Terry thundered a header home after 50 minutes of a hard-fought clash.
But Derby's Belgian striker Branco Strupar equalised in the 60th minute after a rare Rams foray into enemy territory. The home side pushed hard for a winner in the closing stages and Petit bobbled in his first goal in 33 appearances for Chelsea in the 85th minute, for a vital three points. Chelsea could have taken the lead in just five minutes. Mario Stanic combined with Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink down the Blues' left flank. The Dutchman cut the ball back intelligently to his strike partner Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelandic's piledriver hit the inside of the post before rebounding to safety. Just 60 seconds later, Hasselbaink slipped the Rams' defence. For once Chelsea's top marksmen failed to convert with Andy Oakes brilliantly defying Hasselbaink at close quarters.
Jesper Gronkjaer accelerated down the left flank before picking out Hasselbaink. The Chelsea striker's header flashed past Oakes's right-hand upright when it really should have been in the Derby net. The Dutch international also had the last word of the first half after Strupar had volleyed wide for the visitors in their only respite in the first 45 minutes. Hasselbaink though became the second Chelsea player to strike a post from a 25-yard free-kick two minutes before the interval.
The home side went ahead five minutes after the break. Terry, who had replaced the injured William Gallas at half-time strode up for Chelsea's sixth corner of the game, taken by Graeme Le Saux from the right. Le Saux's left-foot cross was met by Terry's forehead and the ball crashed past the helpless Oakes to give Chelsea a crucial lead. However, Derby fashioned an unlikely equaliser from their first real incisive move of the game just before the hour.
Rams' right-back Warren Barton crossed from the right. The ball evaded the whole of a pedestrian Chelsea rearguard and Strupar had the simple task to tap the ball home at the far post. Claudio Ranieri threw on all three substitutes in search of a vital win considering Chelsea's Champions League aspirations. The winner came from another unlikely source in the shape of Petit, whose right-foot shot deflected past Oakes five minutes before the end.
Chelsea: Cudicini, Melchiot, Gallas (Terry 45), Desailly,
Le Saux, Gronkjaer, Lampard, Petit, Stanic (Zola 71),
Hasselbaink, Gudjohnsen (Forssell 71).
Derby: Oakes, Barton, Riggott, Higginbotham,
Zavagno (Elliott 90), Kinkladze, Lee, Valakari, Boertien,
Strupar (Morris 86), Ravanelli. Att: 37,849 Ref: M Dean (The Wirral).
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