Chelsea title challenge dies after drab Everton draw

Chelsea 0 Everton 0. Any hope that Guus Hiddink's Chelsea side had that they could overhaul Manchester United at the top of the Premier League must have surely been extinguished last night after they failed to overcome Everton.

The tie at Stamford Bridge ended in a drab 0-0 draw that failed to convey the urgency and verve of some of the sparkling football on offer from both sides this season, but a look at the Premier League table shows Chelsea now six points behind Manchester United with one more game having been played.

David Moyes's Everton side, bolstered by their weekend FA Cup semi- final win over Manchester United on penalties that sets them up for a Wembley final with Chelsea, started brightly and should have had a goal when on-loan striker Jo forced a tremendous save from the home side's under-fire keeper Petr Cech.

Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Salomon Kalou all had efforts on target for the west Londoners but the Liverpudlians displayed the resoluteness in defence that has helped them into sixth place and a guaranteed Europa League spot next season.

The scoreline and the fatal effect that this result has on Chelsea's Premier League challenge will disappoint Hiddink, the interim manager at Stamford Bridge.

But the Dutchman will ultimately be happy that with the attacking blitzkrieg of Barcelona lurking on the horizon in the Champions League semi-final, his team were able to register a clean sheet after leaking eight goals in their last three games and keeper Cech gained much-needed confidence following recent below-par performances.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Neil Ashton, Daily Mail: "David Moyes has hit upon a successful system against the muscle men, something Everton's manager will surely take into the FA Cup final on May 30, the showpiece at the end of the season for two successful teams. This was not a goalfest like Chelsea's 4-4 draw against Liverpool in the Champions League last week or anywhere near the quality of Arsenal's 4-4 draw at Anfield on Tuesday. This was more like a goal quest."

Dominic Fifield, the Guardian: "Chelsea's title challenge may just have run aground at last. Talk of securing an unlikely treble, aired briefly and rather reluctantly by Guus Hiddink in the build-up to this occasion, was choked last night by a wonderfully rugged and committed Everton team to leave the hosts frustrated and forlorn. Manchester United perch six points clear of the Londoners this morning with a game still in hand. Even Hiddink's ability to eke the best from this squad may struggle to bridge that chasm."

Matt Hughes, the Times: "Just like last season, Chelsea came up short in the Barclays Premier League when it mattered most, although a glance at a bench featuring Jacob Mellis, an unknown teenager, for the first time revealed that Hiddink had few options. Their lack of depth has been evident all season, particularly on the flanks, a problem that they will try to solve with an extensive recruitment drive in the summer. Everton’s squad, by contrast, stood up to the task of two matches in the space of four days and created more chances than they managed against United on Sunday." ·