Chelsea 1 (Ballack 33)
Reading 0
The Royals were edged out by Michael Ballack's first half header at Stamford Bridge this evening.
Chelsea's multi-million pound team were the better side, but we did give them a couple of scares.
Marcus Hahnemann made some good stops, but there was nothing he could do about Ballack's powerful header from Paulo Ferreira's cross.
Chelsea should have added a second just moments after the restart, but Joe Cole failed to capitalise on the chance.
Nicolas Anelka saw a good headed chance saved, but then Reading had a decent spell.
Leroy Lita did brilliantly to create a chance for James Harper, but it was perhaps just behind him and the opportunity went begging.
We huffed and puffed in the final stages, but Chelsea kept us at arm's length.
Avram Grant's men were not especially fluent, and after missing some decent chances they were left a little nervous in the last few minutes.
Dave Kitson missed the game with flu, and will hopefully be OK for Bolton at the weekend. John Oster played 81 minutes after being handed his first start since November.
Chelsea: Cech; Ferreira, Bridge, Alex, Carvalho; Makelele (c), Ballack, Malouda (Pizarro 76), Wright-Phillips (Sidwell 85); Cole; Anelka
Subs: Cudicini, Ben Haim, Sinclair
Reading: Hahnemann; Murty (c), Shorey, Cisse, Ingimarsson; Harper, Hunt, Oster (Matejovsky 81), Convey (Rosenior 85); Doyle, Lita
Subs: Federici, De La Cruz, Bennett
Attendance: 41,171
Ref: M Dean
First half
Reading had the first effort on target, with Leroy Lita's first minute header comfortably saved by Petr Cech.
Chelsea broke through with five minutes on the clock, and Kalifa Cisse was incredibly fortunate not to booked as he hacked down Shaun Wright-Phillips on the edge of the area.
Reading were defending well, and Marcus Hahnemann made a good save to deny Joe Cole on 18.
Then three minutes later, a combination of Hahnemann and Graeme Murty denied Wright-Phillips.
Chelsea were upping the ante, and Ivar Ingimarsson had to hack clear as Florent Malouda broke incisively. From the resulting corner, Hahnemann sliced a punch toward his own goal, and thankfully John Oster was able to clear off the line.
A Chelsea goal was coming, and it arrived on 33 minutes. Paulo Ferreira broke well from the right, whipped in a cracking cross and Michael Ballack headed home imperiously.
The home side looked for a second, and Lita's sliced clearance dropped very close to his own goal.
Second half
Straight from the restart, Chelsea nearly scored again. Nicky Shorey had possession, but was robbed by Cole, and thankfully it just got away from him, a great chance gone.
With 50 on the clock, Hahnemann made another good save, out sharply to deny the onrushing Wright-Phillips.
Five minutes later Reading had a rare foray forward. Murty put in a good deep cross, and Kevin Doyle had peeled away to the back post. He headed across goal, but it was agonisingly just ahead of Lita.
Midway through the period Chelsea broke again, and it looked for all the world as if Nicolas Anelka would score from a header, only to nod it too close to Hahnemann, allowing the American to make another save.
Reading were working up some pressure of their own though.
Lita did brilliantly down the left to go past both Alex and Ferreira, and he crossed in for James Harper. It looked odds-on for the midfielder to score, but it was perhaps a tiny bit behind him, and the chance went.
Chelsea rode out that storm, and Ballack headed over from another good cross.
Late on, a great tackle from Ingimarsson denied Ballack again.
It was Reading doing the pressing in the final moments, and sub Marek Matejovsky looked to open a door, but the home side held on.
Chelsea were the better side without ever being truly fluent. Reading never really got going, and the home team's big money squad took victory.
We improved in the second half, and gave the home side a few problems in a vain search for a leveller.
Full highlights are on Reading World now, as well as reaction from Steve Sidwell and John Oster. Sign up from less than 10p per day.
