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Ten Men Chelsea Held In Bordeaux. Chelsea still have work to do in the Champions League after being held to a draw in Bordeaux. Nicolas Anelka gave the Blues the lead but an Alou Diarra equaliser snatched a point before Frank Lampard saw red.

Chelsea must wait on a seventh straight appearance in the knockout phase of the Champions League after Bordeaux held them 1-1 while the Blues also had Frank Lampard sent off on a night of European drama here on Wednesday.

Chelsea arrived in Bordeaux searching for the win that would guarantee qualification against a side they defeated 4-0 at Stamford Bridge back in September.

Yet the Girondins had bounced back well since that humbling with back-to-back wins over CFR Cluj to possess some real momentum going into the game and undoubtedly also spurred on by Chelsea’s defeat in Rome last time out.

Certainly the visitors began the game looking like a team with a lot on its mind. The Blues rarely got out of first gear and Mathieu Valverde, deputising for first choice stopper Ulrich Rame, had little to do in the home goal.

Laurent Blanc’s men certainly enjoyed the better of the opening period with Fernando the first to work the goalkeeper early on, hitting a low shot which bobbled off the turf and forced the Czech into a low save down to his right.

The lively Gourcuff was looking bright and his excellent cross-field pass to Chalme saw the full back fly straight past Malouda before hitting a fierce shot which again Cech parried.

Although the Chelsea boss looked furious on the touchline his half-time team talk appeared to change little with the home side beginning the second period by far the sharper and hungrier team.

Yet with an hour gone and Drogba warming up on the touchline a loose pass fell to Lampard whose clipped ball sent Anelka running through on goal. The Frenchman did well, delaying his shot and waiting for Valverde to go to ground, before calmly slipping the ball home.

The visitor looked more dangerous in the closing stages. Frank Lampard going close with a free kick before forcing Valverde into a nervy parry from a low shot. Yet with less than ten minutes to go the home side snatched a equaliser their earlier display had deserved. A corner in from the left was met by an unmarked Diarra whose header flew past Cech.

However, there was still more drama to come with Chelsea finishing the game with ten men for the second consecutive Champions League match. Lampard, booked in the first half picked up his second yellow of the evning after a late challenge on Fernando to compound a frustrating night for the Blues.

Chelsea keeper Petr Cech said Chelsea should not have dropped points. “The moment we scored the goal I thought it was over. I think we should have done better – we should have closed the door,” Cech told Sky Sports.

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari was annoyed with his team for giving up a late equaliser especially as the goal was the first they’ve conceded from a corner. “If you look at the first 45 minutes and the final result, it is normal but I am not satisfied that they scored from a corner which is the first one since I’m the coach. We were strong in attack and it should have been an easy game after we scored. We gave up the goal and lost a player and I’m not satisfied with the goal”.

Blanc was evidently delighted with his team’s fighting spirit and late goal. “I am very satisfied with the players and their performance and the players can be too. We tried to stop Chelsea monopolising the ball but we gave up the goal. After the substitutions we kept pushing and got the equaliser. I know it’s the first goal Chelsea have conceded from a corner and we have been working on set-pieces so I am happy about that. Our game plan was to reduce the space and pressure them but that’s the best game we’ve played against a team as good as Chelsea,” Blanc said.

GOALS

1-1 Bordeaux (Diarra, 83)

0-1 Chelsea (Anelka, 60)

LINE UPS:

Bordeaux: Valverde, Chalme, Planus, Diawara, Jurietti, Fernando, Diarra, Gourcuff, Gouffran (Cavenaghi, 67), Wendel (Obertan, 75), Chamakh.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Ashley Cole, Mikel, Joe Cole (Ferrerira, 85), Ballack, Lampard, Malouda, Anelka (Drogba, 62).

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