CarlingNet - No 1 for Match Reports

Blackburn v Chelsea 16/11/96 3.00

Blackburn               (0) 1 Chelsea                 (0) 1 FT
Gallacher 56                  Petrescu 82

Ruud Gullit's star-studded Chelsea foreign legion were left thanking the footballing gods for delivering them from defeat as Blackburn's basement battlers maintained their Premiership recovery at Ewood Park.

The Londoners paraded new £4.5million Italian import Gianfranco Zola alongside countrymen Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Di Matteo, but were left counting on their luck as Romanian Dan Petrescu's deflected effort provided them with a late equaliser to take their unbeaten run to three matches.

It was tough luck on managerless Blackburn, who looked set to chalk up their second win in succession when Kevin Gallacher put them ahead early in the second half.

But the Lancastrians still marched off to a standing ovation as caretaker boss Tony Parkes saw his men lift themselves off the bottom of the table with a point that lifts them above Nottingham Forest.

Poor Zola must have wondered what he had let himself in for as both sides opened at a breathtaking pace that reduced the little Italian to the role of spectator for most of the first period as the ball whizzed around in typical English fashion.

It was 14 minutes before he enjoyed his first decent touch, but he showed his class with a neat link-up with Mark Hughes before sending forward a clipped pass that would have sent Gianluca Vialli clear until Henning Berg intercepted in timely fashion.

There was little to chose between the teams, even though they were separated by 14 Premiership places at the start of the day.

Rovers just about edged the first period as they looked to secure the point that would lift them off the basement.

Chris Sutton, full of running following his two-goal show in the 3-0 win over Liverpool in Rovers' last outing, once again linked well with strike partner Kevin Gallacher.

Both came within a whisker of providing the finishing touch to Jason Wilcox's low left-wing cross as markers Steve Clark and Michael Duberry put them under intense pressure.

More excellent defending by the Duberry then saw him sweep the ball off the toes of Sutton as Gallacher's cross from the right arrowed into the near post.

And the Rovers strike duo should have provided the breakthrough in first-half injury-time only when Gallacher drew keeper Frode Grodas the Norwegian was making his league debut only to feed his cross just too far ahead of the in-rushing Sutton who threw himself full length in a vain bid to convert the ball into the unguarded net.

Rovers skipper Tim Sherwood also went close with a driven 25-yard free-kick that was deflected inches wide by Chelsea's defensive wall.

But the Londoners also had their moments, particularly when the grounded Craig Burley managed to free Vialli only for Mark Hughes, unmarked six yards out, to sweep his left-footed shot wide.

Tim Flowers also had to deal with long-range efforts from Roberto Di Matteo and Dennis Wise, but Chelsea were largely reduced to containment as they showed that they have the grit to go with their undoubted skill.

There were signs that the Londoners were beginning to come to terms with their task towards the end of the first period and, on the restart, Burley was unlucky to see his glancing header fly across the face of the goal from Zola's curling free kick.

But it was Rovers who went ahead on 56 minutes when Gallacher was rewarded for his non-stop display with his second goal of the season and his first in the league.

Garry Flitcroft and Sutton made progress down the left and the ball was flicked on by Gary Croft for Gallacher to crack a volley low past Grodas from six yards, the Norwegian keeper getting a slight had to the ball but failing to keep it out.

Gullit immediately brought himself into the fray, but Blackburn took on an even more determined edge and Colin Hendry and Billy McKinlay were both booked for fouls, following Grodas and Hughes into referee Barber's notepad.

Chelsea piled forward desperately and were building up an ominous head of steam to keep the home side pegged back when the equaliser finally arrived on the back of a huge slice of luck eight minutes from time.

Flowers looked to have Dan Petrescu's long-range drive covered only for the ball to arc of the back of a defender and sail into the top corner.

It was the Romanian's second goal of the campaign and it sent the massed ranks of Chelsea fans in a crowd of 27,229 wild with delight.

Their celebrations were almost cut short, though, when the impressive Gallacher sent in a low 20-yarder that forced Grodas into making a fine save in the closing stages.