Didier Drogba aims to have final say in battle with Wayne Rooney

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11 April 2012
Chelsea 7
Stoke City 0

Didier Drogba may have lost an individual battle for major honours with Wayne Rooney this season but the Chelsea striker is in the best condition to ensure he'll win the war.

Rooney was all smiles at London's Grosvenor House Hotel last night as he collected the PFA Player of the Year Award for the first time.

He won considerably more votes than Drogba, even though the pair are separated by just two goals in the scoring charts, yet there is a very real danger it is the only accolade he will receive for an outstanding season in a Manchester United shirt.

Just a few hours before the glittering ceremony took place, which was Rooney's only public appearance of the weekend having sat out United's win over Tottenham, his rival was inspiring Chelsea to a sensational victory that saw them restore a one point lead over United at the top of the table.

Drogba may not have scored one of the remarkable seven goals Chelsea netted against a hapless Stoke but he was the battering ram which bullied the supposedly tough opposition into submission.

Rooney has obviously proven on many occasions this term that he can do the same thing but his participation in the final two games is very much in doubt.

The England international is suffering from various injury complaints, although he is talking bullishly about returning before the end of the season. Even if he succeeds in his mission, it is unlikely he will be able to influence matches in the same way he did when at full strength.

The title race has almost been as much about Drogba v Rooney as it has been Chelsea against United and it is the Blues talisman who is delivering on the pitch when it matters.

Carlo Ancelotti's side may face the tougher opponent out of the two teams on Sunday, when they take on Liverpool at Anfield while their rivals travel to Sunderland, but the former will have their main target man fit, willing and able.

It is not a coincidence that when the Ivory Coast international has played well against Liverpool, Chelsea have tended to get the right result.

The last occasion they won in the League at Anfield was in the 2005-06 season and that is also when they last won the championship. It was a comfortable 4-1 victory and Drogba set up all of his side's goals. He also netted when Chelsea won 3-1 there in the Champions League quarter-final first leg 12 months ago.

In fact, Drogba's ability to terrorise the red half of Merseyside dates back to 2004, when, as a Marseille player, he scored a goal home and away to knock them out of the UEFA Cup.

It was only seven days ago that Chelsea had genuine fears that he would follow Rooney onto the sidelines. His meek display in the woeful defeat at Tottenham seemed to suggest his long-standing hernia problem had become too much to bear.

Yet there were no signs of any pain yesterday, except in the faces of the Stoke defenders. A sublime piece of control, followed by a first-time cross, set up Salomon Kalou for the first.

Kalou's second came after Drogba flicked the ball beautifully into Frank Lampard's path and the midfielder's shot was only parried by Thomas Sorensen. Later he set up Chelsea's sixth for substitute Daniel Sturridge with a fine turn and lovely measured through ball.

His display was all the more impressive for, in the absence of the suspended John Terry, he cleared the majority of Stoke's dangerous set pieces and throw-ins from the penalty area.

Only once did he demonstrate a touch of selfishness, when he asked Lampard if he could take the penalty after Kalou was tripped by Robert Huth because he wanted to draw level with Rooney on 26 League goals.

Lampard ignored him to score the first of his brace but the midfielder was in no doubt after the match that Chelsea have an advantage over United with their main striker in top form.

He said: "It is a boost for us. The way Didier played against Stoke is what he's about. People talk about Rooney being missing and he is the Player of the Year but we have also lost players for large parts of the season. It all evens itself out.

"Didier wants to be the top scorer in the League, he deserves to be. Let's hope in the next two games he will score the goals to make him that."

Chelsea's performance also firmly established themselves as the Jekyll and Hyde team of the Premier League. No one, not even Ancelotti, knows which side will turn up week-to-week.

This was the third time they have scored seven against top flight opposition this season but it came just a week after Tottenham could have put seven past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech themselves.

They have an impressive 93 goals in 36 league games to their name, however five away defeats does not inspire confidence heading to one of the toughest stadiums in the country.

Still, with Drogba at the helm, anything, including a first title in four years is possible.

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