12/04/2003  Chelsea 1 Bolton 0

Carlton Cole, making only his second start of the season, 
grabbed the goal that kept Chelsea on course for a Champions 
League spot and heightened Bolton's relegation fears.

Cole latched onto Emmanuel Petit's 57th-minute through ball 
and kept his goal to beat Jussi Jaaskelainen and score what 
proved to be the winner.

Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri had left out William Gallas 
and drafted in Cole while Bolton manager Sam Allardyce called 
up Anthony Barness to replace the injured Bruno N'Gotty.

Gianfranco Zola carried the opening threat. His teasing lob 
to the edge of the Bolton area after just 30 seconds was 
played into the run of Hasselbaink who volleyed over the 
bar.

But Chelsea were soon indebted also to John Terry whose 
confident header stopped Ricardo Gardener's dangerous cross 
reaching Henrik Pedersen on the far post.

Cole's tame finish presented Jaaskelainen with a 
comfortable save on the quarter hour and he threatened again 
with a crossfield ball meant for Hasselbaink but which was cut 
out by Gudni Bergsson. The clearance went only as far as 
Lampard but the midfielder rushed his shot and sent it 
straight at the goalkeeper.

Bolton were offered a rare chance when Boudwejin Zenden, 
deep in his own half and having already been lectured by the 
referee for a foul on Gardner. tripped Youri Djorkaeff and was 
booked as well as conceding the free kick. Per Frandsen's 
freekick was poor quality, though, and easily cleared.

Bolton's Bergsson was only fractionally short of converting 
a diving header from another free kick, this time on the 
right, on the half-hour with Chelsea guilty of slack 
defending.

Cole had a big chance to crack his fifth goal of the season 
when Zenden's cross from a Petit pass put the tall striker in 
behind the Bolton defence and inside the six yard box but he 
had to react quickly and lifted his first time effort over the 
bar at full stretch.

When a Hasselbaink raid down Bolton's right was broken up 
by Djorkaeff, a clever out-ball gave Bernard Mendy a run down 
the flank and after skipping past Petit it took a sliding 
challenge, perfectly executed by Marcel Desailly, to stop him 
skating clean through.

The ball just would not go in for Chelsea, though, and even 
Desailly inadvertently foiled them - getting in the way of a 
fierce drive by Cole as it came skimming through a crowded 
Bolton penalty area on 37 minutes.

Bolton continued to hold a firm line at the start of the 
second half and Chelsea had to probe patiently for 
openings.

Zenden eventually tired of a long-winded build-up in the 
50th minute and tried his luck from 30 yards but Jaaskelainen 
had his positioning totally correct to field the shot.

Bolton broke quickly and Okocha caused problems in the 
Chelsea box before the ball rebounded to Djorkaeff who stabbed 
a half-chance over the bar just before Desailly barged him 
over.

The danger signs were there for Chelsea and when Frandsen 
spread a good ball out to Mendy on the right, goalkeeper Carlo 
Cudicini had to make sure his concentration, after long 
inactivity, was just right to let him snatch the cross off 
Pedersen's head.

But Cole finally made the breakthrough for Chelsea in the 
57th minute - just when Ranieri was ready to make his first 
adjustment of the afternoon, with de Lucas hovering on the 
touchline.

Petit chipped an exquisite ball through from just inside 
his own half and Cole was just onside when he started his run 
that took him past Bergsson and onto the opportunity. 
For a split second it looked like he had wasted it again 
with a poor first touch but before Jaaskaleinen could pounce 
and Bergsson could catch up, he jabbed it past the keeper.

It stopped the frustration of a near 40,000 crowd and they 
were almost able to cheer a second goal within a minute when 
Zola curled a typical effort just beyond the far post.

Bolton showed they were not finished, though, when Ivan 
Campo took aim from fully 35 yards and was only a foot or so 
wide of a post with Cudicini diving to cover.

But suddenly their discipline seemed to be slipping and 
both Bergsson and Florent Laville were booked for clumsy fouls 
before Cole nearly doubled his money for Chelsea.

Hasselbaink teased Barness with a twist and turn in the 
67th minute before skidding in a low cross which just about 
escaped Cole's lunge as he went into the six yard box with two 
Bolton defenders and the keeper.

Hasselbaink intercepted a back-pass by Laville and almost 
sewed it up for Chelsea with 20 minutes left, but Jaaskelainen 
read his attempted chip and pulled the ball down.

Bolton battled hard to the end but never looked like 
grabbing an equaliser.