Chelsea 0 Middlesbrough 0

Last updated : 10 April 2004 By Footymad Previewer

Only Arsenal will be happy with Chelsea's dour 0-0 encounter against Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge.

The Premiership is now effectively out of the West Londoners' reach with Arsenal needing to lose three league matches for Chelsea to overtake them - an unlikely proposition.

Mug of the game must go to Frank Lampard who missed two gilt-edged opportunities to snatch three vital points .

Add that to last-ditch defending from Middlesbrough's defenders, most notable from a blinding Eidur Gudjohnsen blaster in injury time, and you could sum this game up as the day after the Lord Mayor's Show - the show being Chelsea's miraculous victory over Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Man of the match was, once again, the imperious John Terry.

No matter what the stakes in the match, this England defender will treat it like a World Cup Final. Brilliant defensive heading coupled with crunching tackles and this youngster is a world star in the making.

After just three minutes, Chelsea left-back Celestine Babayaro had a right footer on target from just outside the penalty area but Mark Schwarzer did well to dive low to collect.

But Boro came back strongly and, after ten minutes, Franck Queudrue sent over a left-wing cross into the area - Marco Ambrosio flapped it away and the ball fell to Juninho who shot high and wide over the bar with his left foot.

Chelsea attacked again and this time good work by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Gudjohnsen set up Joe Cole who swivelled just inside the six-yard box, but shot wide.

On 14 minutes, Boro counter-attacked again and Gaizka Mendieta's deflected shot forced Ambrosio into a fine save.

Cole was proving influential for Chelsea and he set up Gudjohnsen on 18 minutes, but the Icelandic striker shot wide from just outside the penalty area.

Frank Lampard was patrolling the midfield for Chelsea allowing Cole to push forward.

Juninho, wide on the left on 25 minutes, sent an excellent ball into the area but Terry headed the ball clear. Seconds later Massimo Maccarone was free in the box and, although he was well-marshalled by Desailly, still got in a right-foot shot from inside the area, albeit a weak one, which went wide.

Good Chelsea possession allowed Jesper Gronkjaer to get in a fine right-wing cross but it was cleared by the Boro defence.

Chelsea were failing in the last third of the pitch while Middlesbrough, without their influential captain Gareth Southgate, were coping well.

Southgate is out with a knee ligament injury and could miss this summer's Euro 2004 competition in Portugal in the summer.

In the 33rd minute Hasselbaink's 30-yard free-kick found Terry whose header was tipped over the bar for a corner by Schwarzer.

Hasselbaink's corner than found the head of Terry but as the ball flew towards goal it appeared to be cleared by Ugo Ehiogu's hand.

Colin Cooper then headed clear Celestine Babayaro's left-wing cross on 34 minutes after a brilliant back-heel by Gronkjaer.

But Chelsea should have taken the lead on 38 minutes when good pressure saw Gudjohnsen's right-foot shot spin off Schwarzer's right post. The ball fell invitingly to Lampard who somehow scuffled his shot wide from six yards.

Seconds later a Lampard piledriver was well held by Schwarzer.

Ehiogu had to make two goal-saving clearances in a minute to stop firstly Terry getting onto a Hasselbaink free-kick and again to stop Hasselbaink's corner going in direct.

Ehiogu failed to stop the third of Hasselbaink's deliveries, but this time, Terry headed wide.

Tinkerman Claudio Ranieri lived up to his name at half-time by substituting Gronkjaer and replacing him with Geremi.

Chelsea forced two early corners in the second half, both taken by Hasselbaink, but both were poorly delivered and easily cleared from danger.

On 55 minutes, Claude Makelele clashed with Mendieta in the centre of the pitch with the Frenchman coming off worse. He failed to recover after lengthy treatment and was replaced.

This allowed Juan Sebastian Veron to come off the bench to start for the first time in five months following his back operation at home in Argentina.

Veron's first touch was an excellent 40-yard cross-field ball to Geremi.

He was then fouled by George Boateng who received a yellow card Veron took the free-kick and inched a bender of a ball over the wall, from 20 yards, which just went over the bar.

On 64 minutes, a right-wing cross by Geremi was skilfully headed towards goal by Gudjohnsen, but Schwarzer was equal to it and snuffed the danger out.

Middlesbrough almost got a soft goal on 67 minutes when a Mendieta free kick was headed towards goal by Geremi but it went wide for a corner Boro boss Steve McClaren brought on striker Michael Ricketts for Szilard Nemeth on 68 minutes.

Veron scooped the ball over the ball after latching onto a Geremi pass on 71 minutes.

Ranieri's last throw of the dice came on 73 minutes when he brought on Robert Huth for the injured Babayaro.

Schwarzer almost gifted Chelsea a goal when a back-pass bobbled before he was able to kick it but sadly for Chelsea, there was no player close enough to take advantage of the gaffe.

McClaren brought on Stewart Downing for the disappointing Maccarone on 75 minutes.

Huth immediately made an impact passing to Gudjohnsen who set up Veron. But the Argentinian's first-time shot sailed high over the goal.

Michael Ricketts had an excellent first chance but his header was ineffectual from Downing's left-wing cross on 81 minutes.

Lampard, once again, missed a sitter on 83 minutes, when an excellent left-wing cross from Cole was mishit by the England midfielder who whacked the ball wide of the goal from eight yards.

Middlesbrough's best effort of the game came on 85 minutes when a bending Mendieta free kick from 20 yards, on the right-hand side of the penalty area was acrobatically parried away by Ambrosio.

On 88 minutes Cole earned a free-kick and up stepped Veron but once again his curling effort went high and wide of the goal.

Huth was booked for a lunging tackle on Mendieta on 90 minutes.

But seconds later a quick break saw Gudjohnsen wide on the left arrow a low left-footed blaster which was deflected clear by Cooper as Chelsea ran out of time to net a precious winner.

Boro boss McClaren was happy with a point saying: "We took the game to Chelsea, attacked them and, for such an open game, I'm disappointed we did not score.

"We played three forwards but our defence played well, especially Colin Copper." McClaren still believes Chelsea can win the title adding: "The table doesn't lie. But it is not over yet. Arsenal could lose against Newcastle in their next game and bring Chelsea back into the race." MAN OF THE MATCH: Colin Cooper – The experienced campaigner was a rock at the heart of the Boro defence as Chelsea missed the chance to keep the pressure on the Gunners.