Chelsea's Premier League season ends on low note with 1-1 draw against Bolton and second place
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LONDON: Fortunately for Chelsea, its final result of the season counted for nothing in the end.
The Blues drew 1-1 with Bolton on Sunday after conceding an injury-time goal to Matthew Taylor, but even victory wouldn't have earned them the Premier League title.
Chelsea finished the season as runner-up to Manchester United after the Red Devils won 2-0 at Wigan.
United's superior goal difference meant it would have clinched even if Chelsea had beaten lowly Bolton. Instead, it finished with 87 points, two more than Chelsea, which has the highest points tally of any second-place team in English topflight history.
"We wanted very much to win the league, but it was never, ever even for one minute in our hands," Chelsea manager Avram Grant said. "Even today, when it was 1-0.
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"You cannot say it was disappointing because we were never in first place to lose it, so we need to be very proud of what we did this year."
Substitute striker Andriy Shevchenko had given Chelsea a 1-0 lead in the 62nd minute at Stamford Bridge, but Taylor sent the ball through goalkeeper Petr Cech's legs to seal the draw.
And Chelsea captain John Terry could miss the May 21 Champions League final against United after he was carried off early on with a serious arm injury.
"Although we've lost the league, we've still got the biggest trophy of all (to play for) and hopefully we can bring it home for the Chelsea fans," Terry said.
Knowing its only hope of winning the title was to beat Bolton and hope United stumbled at Wigan, Chelsea pressed from the start.
But, in the ninth minute, Cech leaped to collect the ball and caught Terry in the head with his knee, sending the Chelsea captain crashing to the ground.
The crowd fell quiet as Terry thumped the turf in pain while Chelsea's medical staff ran to treat him. Terry was carried off and replaced by Juliano Belletti before being taken to a hospital for treatment.
Drogba hit a free kick wide and defender Gretar Rafn Steinsson denied the Ivory Coast striker a chance in the 28th with a well-timed interception in the area as Kevin Nolan, Gavin McCann and Joey O'Brien worked hard in midfield to deny Chelsea time on the ball.
Those listening to earpiece radios passed news of United's opening goal at Wigan around the ground, quieting the home supporters among the 41,755 fans, who for the rest of the first half managed to rouse themselves mainly to protest against tough tackles by Bolton.
O'Brien, McCann and Kevin Davies were all booked for late or rough challenges in the first half as Bolton restricted Chelsea to a handful of half chances.
Shevchenko replaced defensive midfielder Claude Makelele for the second half and, knowing that United was winning, Chelsea attacked relentlessly from the first whistle.
Florent Malouda had a deflected shot tipped onto the bar by Al Habsi and Belletti a shot blocked in the area, before Drogba forced the best chance so far with a surging run from the edge of the center circle.
The striker burst through the visiting defense before drawing a save from Al Habsi with a rising shot.
That brought the first in a string of corners, the third of which ended up with the ball breaking to Shevchenko about five meters (yards) from goal. The Ukraine striker hit it instinctively for his first goal since December.
Bolton almost equalized in the 79th when Ashley Cole cleared off the line after a lob by McCann had hit the crossbar. It eventually scored when Taylor forced the ball in off the inside of Cech's right heel.
Chelsea's players trudged off the field at Stamford Bridge without even completing the lap of honor that is traditional at the end of the season.
But the home fans waited to applaud the players, who had completed a fourth straight unbeaten league season at home, and the squad eventually returned to the field — led by Terry, his arm in a sling.
"He's strong enough to recover, but you never know," Grant said. "We have 10 days until the final. We can take the decision then, not now."
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