Chelsea 2 Portsmouth 1

The Premier League game between Chelsea and Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday Dec 16 2009.

Avram Grant last presided over an evening of deep frustration for Chelsea in the pouring rain a year and a half ago in Moscow. He nearly witnessed another on Wednesday night.

Only this time he was in the opposing dug-out. What a return of infinite satisfaction it almost was for the man sacked after Russia.

Instead a late penalty from Frank Lampard restored Chelsea’s three-point advantage at the head of the Premier League and secured a first victory in five matches.

Not that Carlo Ancelotti’s side were convincing. This was not the stuff of champions as they needlessly turned a would-be procession into a night of frayed nerves. In heavy weather they made heavy weather of it

There were seven changes for Portsmouth but not a whiff of a Wolves whimper.

Most of the alterations were enforced — illness and suspension — while some players were brought back having recovered from the virus that has swept the club.

Surely, anyway, Grant would not capitulate after being given such an obvious chance to show Chelsea they were wrong to dismiss him?

The reception afforded was polite enough even if it was peppered with a couple of boos — extraordinary in a way given this is the man who did, whatever the debate over his questionable input, take them to their first and, so far, only Champions League Final.

If that response was muted then Ancelotti certainly gained the reaction he wanted from his team. From the start at least.

They tore out of the blocks and seized the initiative. An early Nicolas Anelka shot fizzed narrowly wide before Salomon Kalou — included in place of Didier Drogba who was nursing a sore back — met Michael Ballack’s flick-on from a corner only to get under the ball and head over from just four yards out.

It forced Portsmouth back. Not that they showed much ambition. Grant had packed his team with toilers and asked them to defend the edge of the penalty area — or even deeper — and with little, or no, width.

Still Chelsea found it difficult or did until Anelka broke through. The goal followed a powerful run by Alex, fit and restored to central defence in place of Ricardo Carvalho, who forced his way into the area down the right and pulled the ball back.

The cross took a slight deflection but Anelka swept it into the net in one smooth movement, the effort glancing in off the near post. It was richly satisfying for Anelka who was signed by Grant, of course, for £15 million but felt misused by the then manager, often relegated to the wing and deprived of opportunities.

When Portsmouth did break and Frederic Piquionne fired in a low shot from outside the area, Petr Cech spilled it, albeit the conditions were wet and greasy, and the rebound fell to Hermann Hreidarsson as the defence froze.

The left-back should have scored, but was unable to get his foot around the ball and the chance was lost.

For Chelsea, Alex struck a free-kick, fierce enough, but wide and Lampard, making a 300th league appearance fot the club, almost squeezed a shot beyond Asmir Begovic — in for David James who was ill - as they again failed to exploit their clear superiority.

Ashley Cole went closer, collecting Lampard’s back-heel, checking back onto his left foot and striking a low shot across goal and just beyond the far post.

Ancelotti’s frustration grew. Chelsea’s pace lessened. And Portsmouth scored. A free-kick was conceded by John Terry and Jamie O’Hara struck it into the wall — it deflected off Kalou and then Ashley Cole and straight to Piquionne who drove his shot beyond Cech. It was outrageously fortuitous.

But it was also the 12th goal — out of 14 — in the league conceded by Chelsea from a set-piece.

Back came Chelsea. Begovic beat out Branislav Ivanovic’s drive and Ballack headed onto the roof of the net, but only Ashley Cole’s desperate tackle stopped Kevin-Prince Boateng.

The game had been turned on its head and Chelsea suddenly appeared panicky. They needed a slice of fortune and Marc Wilson gave it to them, sliding in rashly to bring down Ivanovic just inside the area.

Lampard smashed the penalty high beyond the goalkeeper and the relief was palpable.