A defensive-sounding Avram Grant insisted that Chelsea hadn’t yet ceded the title to Manchester United despite failing to collect three points at home against lowly Wigan Athletic on Monday. “We’re still in it and will keep on fighting,” said Grant, who was booed at the end of the 1-1 tie at Stamford Bridge. “We need one more bad result from Manchester United, but this result did not help us.
True, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba were missing, but Grant also made five unforced changes to the team that beat Fenerbahce in the Champions League last week, moves that were ill-received by Chelsea’s fans. “I change players all the time as we’re at the end of the season with many games and the team are playing more than they used to,” Grant said, adding that the second-half performance was one of the team’s best all season.
He blamed the result on poor finishing. “If we had used 10 per cent of the chances today,” Grant said, “we’d have been leading 3-0 or 4-0. We played so good in the second half and this is the football everybody wants to see.” Second-place Chelsea is now five points behind Manchester United with four games left to play.