Soccer English FA Premiership/Chelsea 3 Portsmouth 0: If the relegation battle seemed confined to four teams before the weekend, Portsmouth are aware that it looks more complicated now. One of their players acknowledged that demotion cannot be ruled out after a feeble display that allowed Chelsea to move closer to the title with plenty left in the tank.
On an afternoon when Southampton, West Bromwich, Crystal Palace and Norwich showed signs of rousing themselves, Portsmouth went the other way. Velimir Zajec's team will have to implode spectacularly to go down given their nine-point cushion, but many fans may see that as a possibility.
Though there is no disgrace in losing here, Portsmouth were worryingly short of spirit, ambition and invention once they fell behind.
Just as disturbingly, they have won only one Premiership match in nine, Nigel Quashie has been sold to Southampton, Amdy Faye is set to leave for Newcastle and Yakubu Aiyegbeni is being pursued by Birmingham City and possibly other clubs.
Aiyegbeni looked far from a £10 million striker, wasting Portsmouth's only real chance at 2-0 and playing like a man affected by the speculation or keen to get out.
He did not have an easy task as a lone striker, offered little service and often left isolated, but the visiting supporters were entitled to expect him to close down with more gusto.
His substitution was met largely with silence, though he was not alone in lacking the aggression that might have produced a better score, if not a better result. Chelsea were able to cruise in first gear after two impressive bursts had them 2-0 up in 21 minutes, saving plenty for Wednesday's League Cup tie at Old Trafford.
Portsmouth were undoubtedly weakened without Faye, Lomana LuaLua, Steve Stone, Andy Griffin and Arjan de Zeeuw. But after a bright start they accepted their fate too easily. Even allowing for the quality in Jose Mourinho's side and Chelsea's run of seven successive league wins without conceding, they looked in need of new blood.
As well as making it too easy for Chelsea to keep the ball, Pompey wasted far too much possession. Richard Hughes was one of few in their team to emerge with credit and greater determination will be needed in Saturday's FA Cup tie at Southampton.
If Portsmouth's players wonder where the club are heading, it would be understandable. Zajec has done a decent job since taking over as manager from Harry Redknapp - the nine winless games include draws at Newcastle and Liverpool and he has 12 points from 12 league games, whereas Redknapp got 15 from the same number - but belief seems low.
It ought to help that a midfielder should arrive this week, possibly Panathinaikos's Angelos Basinas, though Zajec has looked at other internationals in Greece and Germany. Moreover, the Russia striker Dmitri Bulykin is training at the club and could join from Dynamo Moscow, perhaps freeing Ricardo Fuller to join Southampton. Such fresh impetus ought to see them safe.
"Losing doesn't do anything for your confidence at all, so we are desperate to get a win because I think we're getting closer and closer to the relegation zone now and that's not where we want to be," the midfielder Gary O'Neil said.
O'Neil sees "no massive reason to panic", but admitted the transfer window has brought problems. "No one's quite sure what's happening so it will be good to get January out of the way and know who's staying," he said.
Portsmouth's coach Joe Jordan added that he would be "disappointed" to exit this month with a weaker squad than he went in.
Jordan said Portsmouth could not chase the game for fear of being picked off time and again, but it meant they never threatened to make this a contest once the lively Arjen Robben had set up Didier Drogba and then finished a good move by scoring from Frank Lampard's pass. Before the interval Droga swept in a free-kick after Robben, inevitably, had been fouled.
The Dutchman, with Drogba and Damien Duff, had too much for Portsmouth, while Claude Makelele patrolled midfield effectively. On Wednesday, Robben should play at Manchester United, who wanted him from PSV Eindhoven but balked at the asking price.
He called United "a great club" and was adamant he will not go there with a point to prove. "It's already going wrong when you really want to show what they're missing," he said. "I play for Chelsea and want to win for Chelsea." - Guardian Service
