Ballack double helps Chelsea avoid more misery

Michael Ballack’s double strike and a stunning free-kick from Frank Lampard ensured Chelsea avoided FA Cup embarrassment as the Blues eased into the fifth round with a 3-1 win over Championship club Ipswich on Saturday.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side struggled during a testing opening half but the Brazilian manager ended the afternoon relieved that his team had secured a third successive win after an alarming dip in form.

Last weekend’s late victory over Stoke had eased the pressure on Scolari although anything less than a comfortable against Ipswich would have placed the South American’s position under intense scrutiny.

But a rare double from Ballack – only his second and third goals of the season – and a trademark moment of brilliance from Lampard ensured a trouble-free afternoon.

Once again the build-up to the game had been dominated by the manager’s relationship with Didier Drogba who had been omitted from the squad for Chelsea’s previous two games.

While Scolari has always maintained there is no rift, Drogba’s place among the substitutes against Ipswich suggests his rehabilitation is far from complete.

And with former manager Jose Mourinho voicing his desire to take the player to Inter Milan on the morning of this match, Drogba may yet be on his way out of Stamford Bridge before the end of this month’s transfer window.

The forward’s continuing absence appeared to have no effect on Chelsea during the opening twenty minutes of this fourth round tie as the Premier League side asserted themselves and confirmed their superiority with Ballack’s opening goal.

Florent Malouda had already tested Ipswich keeper Richard Wright with a low drive and Lampard flashed a right footed shot wide as Ipswich appeared shell-shocked in the face of early home pressure.

And Ballack himself should have put his side ahead in the ninth minute when he collected Nicolas Anelka’s excellent cross on his chest before volleying wastefully wide.

It took the German midfielder just six minutes to make amends, however, when he applied the finishing touch to a delightful move that began with Lampard’s chip to Ashley Cole who steered in a low, first-time cross, allowing Ballack to slide home from six yards.

But Jim Magilton’s side regrouped and responded courageously, taking the fight to Chelsea and exposing the defensive frailties that have become a hallmark of the London club’s season so far.

And predictably the Suffolk side found a way back into the game following a dead-ball that caused utter confusion in the home side’s back-four.

Scolari has reportedly fallen out with key players over which marking system to adopt at set-pieces but it appeared his defenders opted to abandon their duties altogether when Owen Garvan swung in an accurate free-kick that fell to Alex Bruce who stabbed the ball home from close-range.

Back on level terms after 33 minutes, Ipswich were growing in confidence and would have been ahead at half-time had Danny Haynes shown more composure when teed up by Jonathan Walters.

Once again it was Ballck who put Chelsea in command, converting a superb free-kick from 20 yards out after Anelka had been needlessly fouled by Garvan.

And with Ipswich’s resistance gone, Lampard completed the win with another dead-ball effort, a quite outstanding shot, that dipped over the defensive wall from 35 yards out.