17/12/2006  Everton 2 Chelsea 3
 
Didier Drogba produced a moment of outrageous brilliance to keep Chelsea's title hopes burning brightly at Goodison Park.

Trailing twice and never at their best, it seemed Chelsea would suffer another major setback in their attempts to land a championship hat-trick.

However, just as Everton seemed set to claim a draw their wholehearted efforts totally deserved, Drogba spotted his chance.

Substitute Andriy Shevchenko nodded Henrique Hilario's 87th-minute punt forward into the path of the Ivory Coast striker.

Drogba instantly controlled, then turned, before letting fly with a volley from fully 30 yards which Tim Howard did not have a hope of keeping out.

It was Drogba's 16th goal of an incredible season and on such moments in mid-December are championships won and lost.

For Everton, who have now gone 15 games without beating the Stamford Bridge outfit, there were only thoughts of what might have been.

Leading initially through Mikel Arteta's penalty, then a thunderous Joseph Yobo header, the home side could barely believe their bad luck at the end as industrious teamwork was overcome by inspired moments of individual skill.

Given the bold statements coming out of Stamford Bridge in the wake of Wednesday's win over Newcastle, the champions must have been feeling decidedly more confidence in the build-up to their trip to Merseyside than it appeared when the match actually began.

Without skipper John Terry, who succumbed to a back problem, the visitors lacked leadership and though his replacement Khalid Boulahrouz looked decidedly shaky.

The Dutch defender was heavily involved in the 16th-minute Everton attack which sparked such fury on the touchline a member of Merseyside Police appeared in the technical area to calm the situation down.

Having attracted an unwelcome reputation for diving, Andrew Johnson probably did himself no favours when he tumbled over Hilario having nicked the ball past the Chelsea keeper inside the area.

Johnson had already shrugged off the attentions of Boulahrouz and though there was no contact with Hilario, the Everton man would certainly have been flattened had he not taken evasive action.

With a TV monitor in his own dugout, David Moyes knew exactly what had happened and offered Mourinho a chance to analyse the pictures himself midway through the Chelsea manager's furious rant, which included the waving of an imaginary yellow card for what he was certain was a dive.

In fairness, Mourinho's protests were conspicuous by their absence when Boulahrouz sent Victor Anichebe tumbling seven minutes before the break.

Handed his first Premiership start, the 18-year-old Toffees striker had already proved himself to be a useful foil for Johnson when he turned onto his forward partner's lay-off.

Boulahrouz was expecting an instant turn. When it didn't come it only reinforced the fact Anichebe was being grabbed and referee Mark Halsey had no hesitation in offering Arteta the chance to convert from the spot.

It marked the end of another disappointing half for Chelsea, who, as Terry confirmed in midweek, have not been anywhere near top form recently.

However, it is beyond dispute they retain the mentality of champions and consequently were level within three minutes of the restart.

The contribution of Michael Ballack since his much-heralded arrival from Bayern Munich has been fitful to say the least.

But the German remains a deadly set-piece weapon and, after Lee Carsley had handled, let fly with a superb curling effort which cannoned off the post, then bounced in off Tim Howard's back.

It hardly needed a mindreader to work out what Sir Alex Ferguson made of such a potentially important contribution to the Chelsea cause from one of his own players.

But there was much more drama still to come as the Toffees grabbed their second, with a major inquest inevitable among the Chelsea ranks as to how Yobo rose unopposed to power Arteta's routine near-post corner into the roof of Hilario's net.

Left on the bench for the second game running, £30million striker Shevchenko was eventually introduced 18 minutes from time, with Chelsea growing increasingly desperate.

The Ukrainian did little to rid himself of the misfit tag, falling over his own feet on one memorable occasion.

Thankfully for Chelsea, not all their players are so abject and when Kalou found Lampard on the visitors next attack, the England striker took aim with a 20-yard shot that gave Howard no chance as it flashed into the top corner.

Then it was time for Drogba to take centre stage with probably the most amazing goal of his career - and how Chelsea's fans celebrated it.