REACTION: EARLY GOAL IS KEY

In the wake of our draw with West Ham and an opportunity to top the Barclays Premier League spurned, the mood was obviously subdued after the game.

It was an afternoon full of mixed emotions, as legends Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke returned to our home in the claret and blue colours of West Ham, Didier Drogba returned to league action and the Blues once again failed to make the most of opportunities.

'The result is not good for us because we wanted to win and we needed to win to be first in the Premier League,' said Deco after the game before explaining, 'but they [West Ham] defended well, they played the counter attack and they scored for 1-0, so it was difficult for us.

'In the second half we played better, scored for 1-1. We tried to score a second goal but we couldn't. It was a difficult game but we have to follow up on this now.'

With the introduction of Drogba at the break, the impact was almost immediate, as the Ivorian and Frank Lampard combined to open up the defence for Nicolas Anelka to even the scores.

'With Didier we have presence in the box, we are stronger of course, because he is big, he is strong, he is a great player and for us it is important in midfield to have a player like Didier,' added Deco.

Despite Drogba's return, Petr Cech was more concerned with our home results, and addressed the issue head on.

'We are not able to win at home at the moment. We will try to work it out and now the important Christmas period is coming. I hope we are going to get it right,' said the goalkeeper.

'It's hard to explain because you can see the effort and the way we try to break the opponents down. The early goal is key. We have been doing that away from home and that has made the games slightly easier.

'But it is disappointing because we have already had two chances to go top,' said Cech.

Results away from home contrast our recent achievements at Stamford Bridge, and it is frequently suggested that could be down to the way teams play when they visit west London. It's something the Blues have to deal with in future fixtures.

'We have lost many points at home and we will have to try and play better here,' said Deco.

'It just has to work, we want to play like we do away and we are trying.

'We have more weeks to be training, and we are progressing. In the future I think we will do better.'

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