Life in the old Drog yet, says Chelsea star

Blues beat Spurs 5-1 to seal FA Cup final against Liverpool.

LONDON: Didier Drogba insists his dynamic display in Chelsea’s 5-1 FA Cup semi-final demolition of Tottenham proves he still has what it takes to dominate on the game’s biggest stages.

Drogba has endured a difficult campaign marred by prolonged spells on the sidelines due to injuries and inconsistent form and many expect this to be the veteran striker’s final year at Stamford Bridge.

The 34-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season and has yet to sign a new deal, appeared to fall out of favour during Andre Villas-Boas’s brief reign.

But the Ivory Coast star has been given a reprieve by interim boss Roberto Di Matteo and he rolled back the years at Wembley on Sunday with a simply unstoppable goal and the kind of muscular, intelligent performance that makes him a nightmare for defenders to deal with.

“That is experience,” said Drogba. “We have quite a few big games since I was here so I know how to approach them and how to play them. We tried to give that experience to the new players. We have a few players here who don’t really know what the FA Cup means and I think they realised today that it is a big competition and we are here to win it.

“Every season I want to win trophies. Last season was bad because we didn’t win any. It is not about my last year here or whatever. I just want to win trophies.”

English FA renews calls for goal-line technology

English football’s governing body The Football Association has again called for the introduction of goal-line technology after a disputed goal in the semi-final.

The call came after Chelsea went 2-0 up when Juan Mata’s low shot hit a tangle of bodies on the Spurs’ goal-line.

Referee Martin Atkinson awarded a goal but television replays appeared to show that the ball had not crossed the line.

“No other single body has called as strongly for its introduction as the FA,” it said.

A number of Chelsea players, including captain John Terry, admitted that the second goal should not have been given, while Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said the incident demonstrated the need for technology to determine disputed calls.

“We can’t keep going on like we’re going at the moment with important decisions not being correct.

“The referees out there on the pitch don’t make mistakes purposely. It’s a difficult job. He (Atkinson) obviously felt it was a goal,” said Redknapp.

United stay on title track

Manchester United maintained their five-point lead over Manchester City as Wayne Rooney fired them five points clear in a 4-0 rout of Aston Villa.

Rooney opened the scoring with an early penalty and Danny Welbeck increased United’s lead before half-time. England forward Rooney bagged his 31st goal of the season in the second half before Nani’s late goal sealed a crucial victory.

Thanks to Rooney’s brace, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were able to re-establish a significant lead over title rivals Manchester City with four games left to play. After their shock midweek defeat at Wigan, and City’s 6-1 demolition of Norwich, this was the perfect response from United.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2012.