16/11/2002  Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0
 
Chelsea's purple patch continued against Middlesbrough at 
Stamford Bridge, with Celestine Babayaro thundering his first 
league goal for more than three years to clinch victory.

Claudio Ranieri's third-placed side have now won five of 
their last six games - but they were indebted to goalkeeper 
Carlo Cudicini, who enhanced his growing reputation with more 
magnificent saves.

Despite Boro also being in the top six at kick-off, the 
poor quality of football and near-silent atmosphere in the 
first half would not have been out of place in a drab 
relegation scrap.

Boro's Massimo Maccarone had the best chance before the 
break when he raced in from the left. Cudicini made a fine 
double-save from his fellow Italian's shot and follow-up.

The second half was thankfully much more entertaining fare, 
with Gianfranco Zola's fabulous dinked pass picking out 
Nigerian international Babayaro to almost burst the net two 
minutes after the break.

It was the 24-year-old left-back's first league goal since 
the 1998-99 season.

Cudicini was at his superb best late on, with another 
quick-fire pair of saves - this time at the feet of Boro 
substitutes Alen Boksic and Noel Whelan.

Star strikers Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Boksic had been 
left on the bench for the battle of the Scrooge-like defences 
in west London.

Before today, Chelsea had kept four Premiership clean 
sheets in a row and Middlesbrough had conceded only 10 goals 
in 13 League games this season.

Chelsea forward Hasselbaink was fit after his groin problem 
while Boro frontman Boksic was back from a bout of 'flu.

Eidur Gudjohnsen had the first crack at goal, with his 
angled effort being deflected wide of Mark Schwarzer's 
right-hand post.

At the other end, Maccarone picked out Geremi in acres of 
space on the right side of the Blues' penalty box - but the 
Cameroon international failed to control and Jody Morris 
cleared.

Schwarzer looked uncomfortable dealing with crosses - and 
from Le Saux's right-wing corner, he flapped at the ball and 
was relieved to see it flip over rather than under his 
crossbar.

Visiting midfielder George Boateng - never far from 
controversy - was lucky to escape without any action from 
referee Phil Dowd when he flattened Zola after 21 minutes.

The Dutchman challenged the Italian and won the ball but 
also smacked him across the jaw with his right forearm.

The game was really opening up now, with Cudicini making a 
fine double save from Maccarone, who was clean through.

Cudicini parried his fellow Italian's powerful drive and 
seized his follow-up effort.

Emmanuel Petit fired a left-foot volley two yards wide as 
the half hour mark neared.

And after 40 minutes, Le Saux - who had swopped wings with 
Morris - crossed from the left and Zola firmly side-footed 
goalwards. Schwarzer reacted well to push the ball over his 
bar.

Whatever Ranieri said to his players at half-time worked 
because it took his team just two minutes of the second period 
to storm into the lead.

Zola, in space as the Boro midfield went to sleep, dinked a 
delightful angled pass to the charging Babayaro.

The left-back cut in behind Stuart Parnaby and thundered 
his shot into the roof of Schwarzer's net from 10 yards.

Nemeth made a mess of a tricky chance to haul his side 
level just before the hour.

From a half-cleared cross, the Boro striker scuffed his 
angled volley across the face of goal.

Boateng, lucky not to enter referee Dowd's notebook for 
flooring Zola, was shown the yellow card for barging into 
Frank Lampard in the 68th minute.

Lampard was in the thick of things now. He robbed his 
England colleague Gareth Southgate 40 yards out, advanced 15 
yards before smacking a piledriver a foot wide.

Cudicini was again left exposed by his defence after 72 
minutes.

Geremi's threaded through ball found Boksic, who had just 
come off the bench. But Chelsea's number one was equal to the 
task and first dived at Boksic's feet and then smothered 
Whelan's immediate follow-up.

Boksic brilliantly twisted his body to side-foot a cross 
goalwards with five minutes left but his attempt deflected off 
Melchiot and over the top.

Cudicini also parried Joseph-Desire Job's injury-time 
thunderbolt.